JAKARTA, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Despite being outgunned on paper,Indonesia
has promised a tough fight against China in the first round of World Group II in
the women's Fed Cup tennis competition next week in Jakarta, the Jakarta Post
said on Saturday.
"Theoretically, our team will lose the tie because the visitingteam is much
stronger. But we hope our players will benefit from playing in front of their
home supporters," Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) deputy secretary-general
August Ferry Raturandang told the paper.
"We will try to steal points from the visiting team, and if possible win
the tie 3-2," he said.
The match will be staged on April 22-23 at the Senayan Tennis Courts in
Jakarta. The Chinese squad will arrive on Tuesday.
Indonesia defeated China in their last encounter in Japan in 2003. However,
with the Chinese revving up for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, their
squad, led by nonplaying captain Jiang Hongwei, is expected to be in top form
thanks to the players' participation in numerous international tournaments.
All of the Chinese players boast better world rankings than theIndonesians.
Zheng Jie is currently ranked 46th, Li Na (56), Peng Shuai (60) and Yan Zi(78).
None of the Indonesian players are currently ranked in the top 100 in the
world.
Romana Tedjakusuma, who is likely to play the first singles, had a
career-high ranking of 82 in 1994. She is now ranked 258th. Angelique "Angie"
Widjaja, who climbed as high as 55 in the singles rankings in 2003 and 15 in
doubles in 2004, has since fallen out of the top 1,000.
Angie returned earlier this year after a lengthy injury break, making the
semifinals of the KIA International tournament in Victoria, Australia, last
month.
Other players on the Indonesian squad include Cigna Open 2006 champion Ayu
Fani Damayanti, ranked 519th in the world, and Septi Mende, ranked 837th.
The home side will be led by nonplaying captain Suzanna Anggarkusuma.
"The lineup, however, is still subject to change," Ferry said, adding that
the squad has begun practicing at the Senayan Tennis Courts on Monday.
Pelti originally planned to stage the tie at the Kemayoran tennis courts,
but moved the tie to Senayan to meet the international standards required by the
International Tennis Federation.
One of these requirements is that the playing venue be able to accommodate
at least 5,500 spectators. Enditem