Sie decided to stay in Thailand

In the final week of "Thailand Futures" or "Thailand Mens Future 6" at LTAT Tennis Center, Nonthaburi, Thailand, Indonesian Elbert Sie ended his journey in singles final qualifying but since he had commitment already to play doubles with 24 years old Malaysian Adam Jaya, then he decided to stay. In the opening round, duet Jaya/Sie cruised past local pair Adirek Khundarnpinitvon/Grittaboon Prahmanee 6-3, 6-4. Then in quarterfinal, Jaya/Sie bowed out to the eventual champion, local second seed duet Kirati Siributwong/Peerakit Siributwong 3-6, 4-6.

So, Sie cancelled his plan to go to Palembang, South Sumatra where he was scheduled to take part in "Garuda Indonesia Tennis Series" or "Sportama serie 4" which was called as "Bukit Asam Open", a national tourney with total prize money of 150 million rupiahs.

Sie crashes out in final qualifying

In the final week of "Thailand Futures" or "Thailand Mens Future 6" at LTAT Tennis Center, Nonthaburi, Thailand, Indonesian Elbert Sie failed to make it into the main draw. In the first round of qualifying, third seed Sie managed to get out of trouble to beat local player Phaninthon Pakpoomkamol 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

In the final qualifying, Sie bowed out to Jan Satral of Czech Republic 3-6, 3-6. So, out of three tourneys Sie had played in the land of Udomchoke, he gained only 1 ranking point by being second round finisher in the 2nd leg.

It is likely that Sie will be heading to Palembang, South Sumatra where he will take part in "Garuda Indonesia Tennis Series" or "Sportama serie 4" which is called as "Bukit Asam Open", a national tourney with total prize money of 150 million rupiahs.

Sie stumbles in round 16

Indonesian qualifier Elbert Sie ended his journey in second round at "Thailand Futures F5" in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand on Wednesday (October 14, 2009). The Bandung resident Sie bowed out to New Zealander Mikal Statham 2-6, 1-6 and failed to advance into the last eight round.

A shock was made by Harri Heliovaara of Findland who defeated fourth seed American Nathan Thompson 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. While two local players left in round 16, they both eventually crashed out. First, Peerakit Siributwong was beaten by Hungarian eighth seed Kornel Bardoczky 4-6, 0-1 retired. Second, Weerapat Doakmaiklee was ousted by qualifier William Ward from New Zealand 4-6, 1-6.

Singles - Second Round
1-NZL KING-TURNER, Daniel d. TPE HUANG, Liang-Chi 61 76(6)
8-HUN BARDOCZKY, K d. THA SIRIBUTWONG, Peerakit 64 10 ret

3-HUN KELLNER, Adam d. Q-IND SINGH, Karunuday 62 75
NZL STATHAM, Mikal d. Q-INA SIE, Elbert 62 61

7-CZE JEBAVY, Roman d. JPN ISHII, Yaoki 61 75
FIN HELIOVAARA, Harri d. 4-USA THOMPSON, Nathan 36 61 62

Q-NZL WARD, William d. THA DOAKMAIKLEE, Weerapat 64 61
ISR WEINTRAUB, Amir d. Q-CZE SATRAL, Jan 64 36 75

Sie through from qualifying and slightly improved to reach round 16

Indonesian Elbert Sie had to go through qualifying round but he managed to qualify into the main draw at "Thailand Futures F5" with total prize money of US $ 10,000 which is held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. In Q1 sixth seed Sie edged past local wild card Rafah Wongviwattana 6-3, 6-3, then in the final qualifying round he booted out local Pongsatorn Benjamas 6-0, 6-1.

In the main draw, Sie made a slight improvement by reaching second round after he cruised past South Korean Chung Seong-Yoon 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round last Monday (October 12, 2009). While in doubles' firs round, Sie who was partnered with Indian Yannick Nelord had to bow out to second seed pair, Amir Weintraub/Mikal Statham (Israel/New Zealand) 0-6, 2-6.

Singles - Qualifying
First Round
1-SINGH, Karunuday (IND) d. WC-RUANGLAPANAN, Apichat (THA) 62 62
WC-UAYPORN, Sorachet (THA) d. KIM, Jin-Seo (KOR) 75 60
2-CHOI, Jae-Won (KOR) d. HARPER-GRIFFITH, Levar (USA) 75 61
WC-TAN, Nysan (FRA) d. LIMPIMPRORH, Pitchaya (THA) 60 62

3-WARD, William (NZL) d. MISHRA, Shivang (IND) 64 64
FARBMAN, Ethan (HKG) d. WC-AHERNE, James (GBR) 60 62
4-KONECNY, Michal (CZE) d. DOBSON, Trevor (USA) 46 63 63
CHEN, Chung-Su (TPE) d. AHERNE, William (GBR) 62 61

SATRAL, Jan (CZE) d. 5-HUANG, Chin-Yu (TPE) 63 61
RAWI, Razlan (MAS) d. SOOD, Lakshit (IND) 64 64
6-SIE, Elbert (INA) d. WC-WONGVIWATTANA, Rafah (THA) 63 63
BENJAMAS, Pongsatorn (THA) d. KHUNDARNPINITVON, Adirek (THA) 63 76(5)

7-LEE, Seung-Jae (KOR) d. WHITE, Zachary (CAN) 76(2) 60
SOOD, Chandril (IND) d. RUNGLERTMANEEPONG, Vorachit (THA) 62 63
CHANG, Yao-Lun (TPE) d. 8-CHEN, I-Ta (TPE) 64 60
WC-JATURONG, Sakarin (THA) d. KUZNETSOV, Askold (UKR) 61 60

Final Round
1-SINGH, Karunuday (IND) d. WC-UAYPORN, Sorachet (THA) 63 60
2-CHOI, Jae-Won (KOR) d. WC-TAN, Nysan (FRA) 36 64 60
3-WARD, William (NZL) d. FARBMAN, Ethan (HKG) 64 62
CHEN, Chung-Su (TPE) d. 4-KONECNY, Michal (CZE) 76(2) 75
SATRAL, Jan (CZE) d. RAWI, Razlan (MAS) 61 61
6-SIE, Elbert (INA) d. BENJAMAS, Pongsatorn (THA) 60 61
7-LEE, Seung-Jae (KOR) d. SOOD, Chandril (IND) 64 61
CHANG, Yao-Lun (TPE) d. WC-JATURONG, Sakarin (THA) 64 61

Singles - Main draw
First Round
1-NZL KING-TURNER, D d. WC-THA KORKIATTHAWORN, Warut 61 63
TPE HUANG, Liang-Chi d. THA SIRILUETHAIWATTANA, Peerakiat 63 63
THA SIRIBUTWONG, Peerakit d. Q-TPE CHANG, Yao-Lun 57 63 63
8-HUN BARDOCZKY, K d. WC VIE NGUYEN, Bui-Tri 64 62

3-HUN KELLNER, Adam d. NZL SIMPSON, Matt 63 61
Q-IND SINGH, Karunuday d. WC-GBR AKHAZZAN, Faris 60 62
Q-INA SIE, Elbert d. KOR CHUNG, Seong-Yoon 62 64
NZL STATHAM, Mikal d. 5-JPN TAKEUCHI, Kento 64 63

7-CZE JEBAVY, Roman d. Q-TPE CHEN, Chung-Su 64 64
JPN ISHII, Yaoki d. WC-THA PRAHMANEE, Grittaboon 61 62
FIN HELIOVAARA, Harri d. Q-KOR LEE, Seung-Jae 61 61
4-USA THOMPSON, Nathan d. IND NELORD, Yannick 62 62

Q-NZL WARD, William d. 6-THA WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittipong 62 62
THA DOAKMAIKLEE, Weerapat d. THA SIRIBUTWONG, Kirati 62 64
Q-CZE SATRAL, Jan d. Q-KOR CHOI, Jae-Won 36 63 62
ISR WEINTRAUB, Amir d. 2-NZL STATHAM, Jose 26 63 64

Doubles - Main Draw
First Round
1-NZL/USA STATHAM, Jose/THOMPSON, Nathan d. WC-THA BENJAMAS, Pongsatorn/KHUNDARNPINITVON, Adirek 61 63
NZL SIMPSON, Matt/WARD, William d. WC-THA/GBR UAYPORN, Sorachet/AKHAZZAN, Faris 64 61

HUN BARDOCZKY, Kornel/KELLNER, Adam d. 4-JPN/TPE CHEN, I-Ta/TAKEUCHI, Kento 63 63
KOR CHUNG, Seong-Yoon/LEE, Seung-Jae d. HKG/THA FARBMAN, Ethan/SIRILUETHAIWATTANA, Peerakiat 6-4 5-7 10-8

CZE KONECNY, Michal/SATRAL, Jan d. KOR/TPE CHOI, Jae-Won/HUANG, Liang-Chi 64 36 10-8
3-CZE/FIN JEBAVY, Roman/HELIOVAARA, Harri d. WC-THA KORKIATTHAWORN, Warut/PRAHMANEE, Grittaboon 61 62

THA DOAKMAIKLEE, Weerapat/WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittipong d. THA SIRIBUTWONG, Kirati/SIRIBUTWONG, Peerakit 62 64
2-ISR/NZL WEINTRAUB, Amir/STATHAM, Mikal d. IND/ INA NELORD, Yannick/SIE, Elbert 60 62

Photo of Elbert Sie is courtesy of Dwi Ari Setyadi

Rungkat, Trijati crashed out immediately in the final week of Thai Futures

Indonesia's numero uno Christopher Rungkat kept on struggling to capitalize decent outcome at "Bec Tero Mens Future 3" with total prize money US $ 10,000 in Nonthaburi, Thailand last Monday (August 31, 2009). A wild card, Rungkat bowed out to seventh seed Yang Tsung-Hua from Chinese Taipei 3-6, 5-7 in the first round. Both Rungkat and Yang are 19 years old but it is obvious that Yang has been progressing a lot in his pro career than Rungkat. Yang is currently ranked at ATP 449 while Rungkat is ranked at ATP 1668. In contrast, Yang has got a title at China Futures last January, while Rungkat is still titleless.

In the meantime, Sunu Wahyu Trijati of Indonesia had to go through qualifying round first. Trijati tasted another first round defeat after he lost to fourth seed Hiroki Kondo of Japan 3-6, 1-6.

In doubles, Rungkat's bread and butter in pro, again he is partnered with Balinese Ketut Nesa Arta and the Indonesian duo sealed a win over local wild card pair Phassawit Burapharitta/Kong Pop Lertchai 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round.

Rungkat and Arta grabbed the title at Thai 10K

Indonesian wild card pair Christopher Rungkat/Ketut Nesa Arta sealed their doubles title at "PTT Mens Future 2" with total prize money of US $ 10,000 in Nonthaburi, Thailand this past Friday (August 28, 2009). In the final, Rungkat/Arta surprised third seed duet Tasuku Iwami/Hiroki Moriya of Japan 4-6, 6-4, 12-10.

En route to final, Indonesian duo Rungkat and Arta edged past duet of David Rice/Kittipong Wachiramanowong (Great Britain/Thailand) 7-5, 6-4 in quarterfinal. Then in semi-final, Rungkat/Arta dispatched fourth seed pair Nikolaus Moser/Laurent Rochette (Austria/France) 6-4, 6-4.

In singles, Rungkat ended-up in second round as he bowed out to seventh seed Milos Raonic of Canada 4-6, 0-6. While his compatriot, qualifier Sunu Wahyu Trijati lost to Yi Chu-Huan from Chinese Taipei 6-7(3), 3-6 in the first round.

Singles

Main draw
First Round
1-NZL KING-TURNER, D d. KOR KWON, Oh-Hee 64 63
AUS PROPOGGIA, Dane d. Q-JPN ISHII, Yaoki 64 76(2)
WC-INA RUNGKAT, Christopher d. AUT MOSER, Nikolaus 64 62
7-CAN RAONIC, Milos d. Q-TPE CHEN, Chung-Su 62 64

3-JPN MORIYA, Hiroki d. THA WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittiphong 63 Retired
Q-NZL SIMPSON, Matt d. Q-THA NIROJ, Pongsiri 7-6(5) 6-3
GBR BAKER, Jamie d. WC-THA SIRIBUTWONG, Peerakit 61 63
FRA COCO, Rudy d. 6-JPN MOTOMURA, Gouichi 62 75

KOR AN, Jae-Sung d. 8-JPN IWABUCHI, Satoshi 64 61
AUS KELLY, Dayne d. WC-THA SIRIBUTWONG, Kirati 62 62
WC-THA DOAKMAIKLEE, Weerapat d. GBR RICE, David 26 62 63
4-JPN IWAMI, Tasuku d. Q-KOR CHO, Soong-Jae 63 63

5-FRA ROCHETTE, L d. THA SIRILUETHAIWATTANA, Perakiat 76(4) 62
KOR NAM, Hyun-Woo d. Q-AUS HOH, Stephen 75 64
TPE YI, Chu-Huan d. Q-INA TRIJATI, Sunu-Wahyu 76(7) 63
2-JPN KONDO, Hiroki d. Q-KOR KIM, Woo-Ram 64 64

Second Round
1-NZL KING-TURNER, D d. AUS PROPOGGIA, Dane 76(4) 76(4)
7-CAN RAONIC, Milos d. WC-INA RUNGKAT, Christopher 64 60
3-JPN MORIYA, Hiroki d. Q-NZL SIMPSON, Matt 64 6-3
GBR BAKER, Jamie d. FRA COCO, Rudy 75 63

KOR AN, Jae-Sung d. AUS KELLY, Dayne 64 61
WC-THA DOAKMAIKLEE, Weerapat d. 4-JPN IWAMI, Tasuku 26 76(4) 76(6)
5-FRA ROCHETTE, L d. KOR NAM, Hyun-Woo 67(6) 63 61
2-JPN KONDO, Hiroki d. TPE YI, Chu-Huan 63 67(5) 64

QF
7-CAN RAONIC, Milos d. 1-NZL KING-TURNER, D 57 75 62
GBR BAKER, Jamie d. 3-JPN MORIYA, Hiroki 64 26 64

KOR AN, Jae-Sung d. WC-THA DOAKMAIKLEE, Weerapat 57 0-1 Ret. (Arm)
5-FRA ROCHETTE, L d. 2-JPN KONDO, Hiroki 46 76(9) 64

SF
7-CAN RAONIC, Milos d. GBR BAKER, Jamie 64 16 63
5-FRA ROCHETTE, L d. KOR AN, Jae-Sung 76(1) 76(5)


Doubles

First Round
WC-INA ARTA, Ketut-Nesa/RUNGKAT, Christopher d. 1-JPN KONDO, Hiroki/MOTOMURA, Gouichi 64 62
THA/GBR WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittipong/RICE, David d. WC-THA/GBR BURAPHARITTA, Phassawit/AKHAZZAN, Faris 63 76(4)

4-AUT/FRA MOSER, Nikolaus/ROCHETTE, Laurent d. AUS/NZL HOH, Stephen/SIMPSON, Matt 76(3) 76(4)
AUS KELLY, Dayne/PROPOGGIA, Dane d. KOR AN, Jae-Sung/NAM, Hyun-Woo 64 76(6)

BAH/THA NEILLY, Timothy/SIRILUETHAIWATTANA, Peerakiat d. THA BENJAMAS, Pongsatorn/DOAKMAIKLEE, Weerapat 46 63 10-4
3-JPN IWAMI, Tasuku/MORIYA, Hiroki d. KOR KIM, Woo-Ram/LIM, Hyung-Chan 62 64

THA SIRIBUTWONG, Kirati/ SIRIBUTWONG, Peerakit d. WC-THA KORKIATTHAWORN, Warut/PRAHMANEE, Grittaboon 61 75
2-TPE YI, Chu-Huan/CHEN, I-Ta d. KOR KWON, Oh-Hee/LEE, Chul-Hee 64 57 10-6

QF
WC-INA ARTA, Ketut-Nesa/RUNGKAT, Christopher d. THA/GBR WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittipong/RICE, David 75 64
4-AUT/FRA MOSER, Nikolaus/ROCHETTE, Laurent d. AUS KELLY, Dayne/PROPOGGIA, Dane 64 76(3)

3-JPN IWAMI, Tasuku/MORIYA, Hiroki d. BAH/THA NEILLY, Timothy/SIRILUETHAIWATTANA, Peerakiat 16 63 12-10
2-TPE YI, Chu-Huan/CHEN, I-Ta d. THA SIRIBUTWONG, Kirati/ SIRIBUTWONG, Peerakit 57 75 10-6

SF
WC-INA ARTA, Ketut-Nesa/RUNGKAT, Christopher d. 4-AUT/FRA MOSER, Nikolaus/ROCHETTE, Laurent 64 64
3-JPN IWAMI, Tasuku/MORIYA, Hiroki d. 2-TPE YI, Chu-Huan/CHEN, I-Ta 76(2) 64

Final
WC-INA ARTA, Ketut-Nesa/RUNGKAT, Christopher d. 3-JPN IWAMI, Tasuku/MORIYA, Hiroki 46 64 12-10

Rungkat makes a slight improvement

Indonesia's number one Christopher Rungkat who was given wild card in the main draw of "PTT Mens Future 2" with total prize money of US $ 10,000 at LTAT National Tennis Center, Nonthaburi, Thailand, had a breakthrough to move into second round after defeating Austrian Nikolaus Moser 6-4, 6-2 today (August 24, 2009). Three more matches were held in the opening day and a shock was claimed by South Korean An Jae-Sung who cruised past eighth seed Satoshi Iwabuchi of Japan 6-4, 6-1. Meanwhile two local wild cards, Siributwong brothers crashed out immediately. The older, Kirati Siributwong lost to Aussie Dayne Kelly 2-6, 2-6, then the younger, Peerakit Siributwong bowed out to Briton Jamie Baker 3-6, 1-6.

Tomorrow, another Indonesian player, Sunu Wahyu Trijati will clash with Yi Chu-Huan from Chinese Taipei in the first round. As 14th seed Trijati was successful to get through qualifying rounds after he earned wins over Malaysian Razlan Rawi 6-1, 6-4 in Q1 and then in final qualifying Trijati battled past local wild card Grittaboon Prahmanee 6-4, 6-4.

A surprise was capitalized by Indonesian pair Rungkat and Ketut Nesa Arta who outclassed top seed veteran duet Hiroki Kondo/Gouichi Motomura from Japan 6-4, 6-2.

Singles Qualifying
First Round
TPE CHEN, Chung-Su d. 1-ITA FALGHERI, Andrea 26 75 1-0 Retired
WC THA SORNBUTNARK, Warit d. WC THA KHUNDARNPINITVON, Adirek 46 61 64
2-KOR CHO, Soong-Jae d. THA RUNGLERTMANEEPONG, Vorachit 61 64
KOR NOH, Sang-Woo d. VIE NGUYEN, Bui-Tri 3-6 6-4 6-0

3-NZL SIMPSON, Matt d. WC THA KORKIATTHAWORN, Warut 62 62
13-JPN ITO, Jun d. AUS TYMKIW, Michael 63 63
4-JPN ISHII, Yaoki d. CAN LEDUC, Antoine 64 4-1 Retired
11-IND SINGH, Karunuday d. RSA HAVENGA, Stephan 63 62

WC THA PRAHMANEE, Grittaboon d. 5-BAH NEILLY, Timothy 75 1-1 Retired
14-INA TRIJATI, Sunu-Wahyu d. MAS RAWI, Razlan 61 64
6-KOR KIM, Woo-Ram d. IND MISHRA, Shivang 61 76(3)
NZL MACKENZIE, Logan d. 10-KOR LIM, Hyung-Chan 62 63

KOR KIM, Hyun-Seung d. 7-TPE CHEN, I-Ta 63 63
THA NIROJ, Pongsiri d. 9-KOR LEE, Chul-Hee 60 62
8-AUS HOH, Stephen d. WC GBR AKHAZZAN, Faris 61 64
12-JPN KATAYAMA, Sho d. THA UAYPORN, Sorachet 61 62

Final Round
TPE CHEN, Chung-Su d. WC THA SORNBUTNARK, Warit 60 64
2-KOR CHO, Soong-Jae d. KOR NOH, Sang-Woo 61 64
3-NZL SIMPSON, Matt d. 13-JPN ITO, Jun 26 64 62
4-JPN ISHII, Yaoki d. 11-IND SINGH, Karunuday 64 62
14-INA TRIJATI, Sunu-Wahyu d. WC THA PRAHMANEE, Grittaboon 64 64
6-KOR KIM, Woo-Ram d. NZL MACKENZIE, Logan 62 62
THA NIROJ, Pongsiri d. KOR KIM, Hyun-Seung 7-5 ret.
8-AUS HOH, Stephen d. 12-JPN KATAYAMA, Sho 62 62

Main Draw - First Round

1-NZL KING-TURNER, D vs KOR KWON, Oh-Hee
Q-JPN ISHII, Yaoki vs AUS PROPOGGIA, Dane
WC-INA RUNGKAT, Christopher d. AUT MOSER, Nikolaus 64 62
7-CAN RAONIC, Milos vs Q-TPE CHEN, Chung-Su

3-JPN MORIYA, Hiroki vs THA WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittiphong
Q-THA NIROJ, Pongsiri vs Q-NZL SIMPSON, Matt
GBR BAKER, Jamie d. WC-THA SIRIBUTWONG, Peerakit 63 61
6-JPN MOTOMURA, Gouichi vs FRA COCO, Rudy

KOR AN, Jae-Sung d. 8-JPN IWABUCHI, Satoshi 64 61
AUS KELLY, Dayne d. WC-THA SIRIBUTWONG, Kirati 62 62
WC-THA DOAKMAIKLEE, Weerapat vs GBR RICE, David
4-JPN IWAMI, Tasuku vs Q-KOR CHO, Soong-Jae

5-FRA ROCHETTE, L vs THA SIRILUETHAIWATTANA, Perakiat
KOR NAM, Hyun-Woo vs Q-AUS HOH, Stephen
TPE YI, Chu-Huan vs Q-INA TRIJATI, Sunu-Wahyu
2-JPN KONDO, Hiroki vs Q-KOR KIM, Woo-Ram

Doubles
First Round
WC-INA ARTA, Ketut-Nesa/RUNGKAT, Christopher d. 1-JPN KONDO, Hiroki/MOTOMURA, Gouichi 64 62
THA/GBR WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittipong/RICE, David d. WC-THA/GBR BURAPHARITTA, Phassawit/AKHAZZAN, Faris 63 76(4)

4-AUT/FRA MOSER, Nikolaus/ROCHETTE, Laurent d. AUS/NZL HOH, Stephen/SIMPSON, Matt 76(3) 76(4)
AUS KELLY, Dayne/PROPOGGIA, Dane d. KOR AN, Jae-Sung/NAM, Hyun-Woo 64 76(6)

BAH/THA NEILLY, Timothy/SIRILUETHAIWATTANA, Peerakiat d. THA BENJAMAS, Pongsatorn/DOAKMAIKLEE, Weerapat 46 63 10-4
3-JPN IWAMI, Tasuku/MORIYA, Hiroki d. KOR KIM, Woo-Ram/LIM, Hyung-Chan 62 64

THA SIRIBUTWONG, Kirati/SIRIBUTWONG, Peerakit d. WC-THA KORKIATTHAWORN, Warut/PRAHMANEE, Grittaboon 61 75
2-TPE YI, Chu-Huan/CHEN, I-Ta d. KOR KWON, Oh-Hee/LEE, Chul-Hee 64 57 10-6

Indonesian male players stayed on losing track

After playing Iran F5 Futures from August 3, 2009, both Christopher Rungkat and Sunu Wahyu Trijati continued on to participate in Iran F6 Futures with total prize money of US $ 15,000 on clay courts in Tehran, Iran. Currently ranked at ATP 1652 (as at August 17, 2009) Rungkat was awarded wild card into the main draw but he lost immediately to Indian Yannick Nelord 4-6, 6-1, 6-7(0). Meanwhile Trijati had to go through qualifying round and he managed to win three qualifying rounds and got into the main draw as qualifier. In the first round, Trijati bowed out to Indian eighth seed Vignesh Peranamallur-Chandrasekhar 2-6, 3-6.

Last week in Thailand F1 Futures with total prize money of US $ 10,000 at Nonthaburi, Thailand, Rungkat had to crawl from qualifing round. Placed as seventh seed, in the first round qualifying Rungkat survived the scare and won over South Korean Kim Hyun-Seung 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, then in Q2 or final qualifying round, Rungkat dispatched Faris Akhazzan of Great Britain 7-5, 6-0. Also getting through as qualifier was wild card Ketut Nesa Arta after he posted two victories in qualifying round. In Q1 Balinese Arta ousted local player Punn Bodhidatta 6-4, 6-1, then he shocked Aussie third seed Stephen Hoh 6-7(1), 6-2.

In the main draw, Rungkat, Arta and wild card Trijati all crashed out in the first round. Rungkat bowed out to local wild card Peerakit Siributwong 6-7(5), 2-6 then Arta lost to eighth seed Rudy Coco of France 4-6, 2-6 and eventually Trijati followed his compatriots as he was defeated by qualifier Timothy Neilly of Bahama 2-6, 6-7(2), 5-7.

In doubles, wild card duet Arta/Rungkat exited instantly in the first round as they lost to third seed pair Rudy Coco/Laurent Rochette from France 5-7, 6-4, 5-10.

Rungkat/Trijati win doubles title at Iran Futures

Indonesian duo Christopher Rungkat/Sunu Wahyu Trijati took doubles title after they shocked top seed pair Alexei Filenkov/Murad Inoyatov (Russia/Uzbekistan) 6-2, 6-0 in the final of "Iran F5 Futures" with total of US $ 15,000 in prize money this past Saturday (August 8, 2009). Being held on clay courts in Tehran, Iran - duo Rungkat/Trijati posted their first round victory over duet of Marc Abdulnour/Vikram Reddy B (Syria/India) 6-0, 6-3. In quarterfinal, Rungkat/Trijati had walk over victory against third seed Indian duo Srirambalaji Narayanaswamy/Ranjit Virali-Murugesan then in semi-final they defeated another Indian pair, Vijayant Malik/Yannick Nelord 6-3, 7-5.

As Indonesia Tennis Association had miscommunication with the tournament committee, eventually only Trijati was awarded wild card in the singles main draw. In the original plan, Indonesia Tennis Association requested for Rungkat to get wild card main draw, while Trijati to receive wild card qualifying. As result, Trijati could only survive until second round as he bowed out to third seed Bogdan-Victor Leonte of Romania 3-6, 2-6. In the opening round, Trijati eased past Armenian lucky loser Khachatur Khachatryan 6-3, 6-0.

Photos of Christopher Rungkat is courtesy of bengawan.org; Sunu Wahyu Trijati is courtesy of kompas images

Davis Cup: New Zealand bageled Indonesia

After leading 1-0, New Zealand's number two player GD Jones battled with Indonesia's numero uno Christopher Rungkat and Jones eventually won 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to secure comfortable 2-0 lead. Then on Saturday (July 11, 2009) New Zealand's doubles duet Dan King-Turner and GD Jones were forced to come from behind a few times in the match, and had the first set down 4-6 to the Indonesian pair of Christopher Rungkat and Ketut-Nesa Arta. The Kiwis' pair bounced back to win 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-4 and put New Zealand up 3-0 in the tie.

Today (July 12, 2009) in his debut Davis Cup appearance, Oliver Statham concluded the tie against Indonesia by defeating the number two player of Indonesia, Sunu Wahyu Trijati, in straight sets. The score was 6-1 6-0 in a very quick game.

Earlier, the New Zealand number one player, Dan King-Turner had beaten Ayrton Wibowo 6-4 6-1.

Today's results mean a perfect 5-0 win for New Zealand over Indonesia.

The New Zealand Davis Cup Team will now face the Philippines in the Asia/Oceania Group II final in September.

This weekend, Philippines defeated Pakistan in their tie in Manila.

Davis Cup: The Kiwis lead 1-0

The Davis Cup tie, New Zealand vs Indonesia, kicked-off at the Perry Arena in Hamilton, New Zealand at 2 pm local time today. In the opening singles rubber, New Zealand number one Dan King-Turner opened with a strong game along with some aces but Indonesian number two player, Sunu Wahyu Trijati fought back with a series of long deuce games each time he served, and held his serve until four games all. Eventually King-Turner then broke and went on to claim the opening set 6-4.

The second set was indeed easier for King-Turner, who took it 6-1, closing the set out with another booming ace. In the third set both players held serve until 4-4, but King-Turner secured the match for New Zealand 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.

A surprise news came as GD Jones was to substitute New Zealand’s number two player Rubin Statham, who apparently woke up with a head cold. Jones, is known as an experienced Davis Cup player, and he will face the Indonesian numero uno, Christopher Rungkat in the second singles rubber of the day.

The remaining schedules

Day Two Schedule – Saturday 11 July 2pm start:
King-Turner/GD Jones v Ayrton Wibowo/ Ketut-Nesa Arta

Day Three Schedule – Sunday 11am start:
King-Turner v Sunu Wahyu Trijati
Followed by
Rubin Statham v Sunu Wahyu Trijati

Photos of Sunu Wahyu Trijati & Dan King-Turner are courtesy of William Booth

Davis Cup: Indonesia vs New Zealand

The 10-12 July Davis Cup tie of Group 2 Asia Oceania zone began at the Perry Arena in Hamilton, New Zealand today. Kiwi Number 1 Dan King-Turner who is ranked at 405 in the world playing against Indonesian Number 2, Sunu Wahyu Trijati then followed by Rubin Statham ranked at 414 facing Indonesian Number 1 Christopher Rungkat.

It is obvious that the Indonesian rankings are much lower than the Kiwis at over 1000 or no singles ranking, they will pretty much rely on Rungkat, aged 19, who had been a top-20 ranked junior in the past couple of years where he won the junior doubles title at the French Open and made the US Open junior doubles final.

It is the fact that like the rest of his side it has proven too costly to play Futures events and he has decided to play domestic tournaments only till last week, therefore slowing his efforts to gain better ranking.

As expected GD Jones and Dan King-Turner have been listed for the home team as the doubles combination with Oliver Statham also in the side.

The last time the two squads met Indonesia came out as the winner with 5-0 victory in Jakarta, but the two teams were totally different to this weekends lineups.

The winner of this tie will play either the Philippines or Pakistan in the Group II final in September in a bid to join nations such as Australia, Thailand, Japan and India in Asia/Oceania Group I.

Last but not least, it will not be Indonesian tennis, if there is no controversy involved. The choice of having Ayrton Wibowo into the squad was certainly created criticism. Wibowo is the only son of everlasting coaches also wife and husband, Suzanna Anggarkusuma and Tintus Arianto Wibowo from "Big Mama" camp. Back in 2008, Wibowo was also picked into Davis Cup team against Hong Kong and China. Wibowo used to be known as "the king of wild card" since he had the privilege to play many local tourneys with such facility. Wibowo has been studying in Oregon, USA for almost a year and Indonesia Tennis Association argued that Wibowo still has world ranking for singles (ATP 1356) and doubles (ATP 1007).

New Zealand Team: Dan King-Turner, Rubin Statham, GD Jones, Oliver Statham, James Greenhalgh(team captain), Alistair Hunt(team manager).

Indonesia Team: Christopher Rungkat, Ayrton Wibowo, Sunu Wahyu Trijati, Ketut-Nesa Arta. Kresno Merdiko(team captain).

Photo of Dan King-Turner & Christopher Rungkat is courtesy of tennisnz

Rungkat and Sie exited in Q1 at Petaling Jaya futures

Two top Indonesian players, Christopher Rungkat and Elbert Sie still struggled as they crashed out in the first of singles qualifying round at "Malaysia Futures F2" in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia last week-end. Rungkat bowed out to China's Zhou Zhuo-Qing 6-7(1), 1-6, while Sie was beaten by another Chinese player, seventh seed Wu Di 3-6, 3-6.

In doubles, Rungkat partnered with Yang Tsung-Hua of Chinese Taipei and they were placed as third seed. In the first round, duo Rungkat/Yang cruised past wild card pair, Razlan Rawi/Elbert Sie (Malaysia/Indonesia) 6-3, 6-4. Eventually duo Rungkat/Yang lost to duet Chen Ti/Phillip King (Chinese Taipei/USA) 3-6, 4-6 in quarterfinal.

Singles

First Round
1-D'AGORD, Luigi (ITA) d. WC STATHAM, Mikal (NZL) 62 64
Q-CHO, Soong-Jae (KOR) d. Q-PROPOGGIA, Dane (AUS) 46 76(7) 60
VARDHAN, Vishnu (IND) d. Q-WU, Di (CHN) 76(5) 63
7-AN, Jae-Sung (KOR) d. SHARAN, Divij (IND) 75 62

3-KING-TURNER, Daniel (NZL) d. GAJJAR, Rohan (IND) 62 46 60
Q-KIM, Sun-Yong (KOR) d. Q-RICE, David (GBR) 63 57 64
PR-KING, Phillip (USA) d. PR-SHOKEEN, Vivek (IND) 64 63
Q-VIRALI-MURUGESAN, Ranjeet (IND) d. 5-LIM, Yong-Kyu (KOR) 64 46 63

8-GHAREEB, Mohammad (KUW) d. WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittiphong (THA) 76(0) 67(6) 75
Q-WANG, Yu Jr. (CHN) d. WC-JAYA, Adam (MAS) 60 75
KANG, Sung-Kyun (KOR) d. LI, Zhe (CHN) 64 63
4-YANG, Tsung-Hua (TPE) d. WC-RAWI, Razlan (MAS) 63 61

6-MAMIIT, Cecil (PHI) d. Q-NARAYANASWAMY, Srirambalaji (IND) 67(5) 61 62
KIM, Young-Jun (KOR) d. LL-TIWARI, Abhijeet (IND) 61 61
SE-BRUGUES-DAVI, Arnau (ESP) d. SUN, Peng (CHN) 26 60 3-1 Retired
2-CHEN, Ti (TPE) d. WC-SI, Yew-Ming (MAS) 60 61

Second Round
1-D'AGORD, Luigi (ITA) d. Q-CHO, Soong-Jae (KOR) 63 46 64
VARDHAN, Vishnu (IND) d. 7-AN, Jae-Sung (KOR) 57 64 64
3-KING-TURNER, Daniel (NZL) d. Q-KIM, Sun-Yong (KOR) 63 76(4)
PR-KING, Phillip (USA) d. Q-VIRALI-MURUGESAN, Ranjeet (IND) 64 63

Q-WANG, Yu Jr. (CHN) d. 8-GHAREEB, Mohammad (KUW) 5-2 Retired
4-YANG, Tsung-Hua (TPE) d. KANG, Sung-Kyun (KOR) 64 61
6-MAMIIT, Cecil (PHI) d. KIM, Young-Jun (KOR) 61 1-1 ret.
SE-BRUGUES-DAVI, Arnau (ESP) d. 2-CHEN, Ti (TPE) 76(8) 63

Doubles

First Round
1-GAJJAR (IND) / GHAREEB (KUW) d. WC-JAYA (MAS) / SI (MAS) 63 26 12-10
BRUGUES-DAVI (ESP) / D'AGORD (ITA) d. KANG (KOR) / KIM (KOR) 61 76(4)

4-LI (CHN) / WANG (CHN) d. MALIK (IND) / RICE (GBR) 64 64
WACHIRAMANOWONG (THA) / WU (CHN) d. MCCOOK (AUS) / PROPOGGIA (AUS) 75 64

CHEN (TPE) / KING (USA) d. KLEIN (AUS) / YU (CHN) 62 63
3-RUNGKAT (INA) / YANG (TPE) d. WC-RAWI (MAS) / SIE (INA) 63 64

SHOKEEN (IND) / VIRALI-MURUGESAN (IND) d. WC SELVARAJOO (MAS) / ZAINAL (MAS) 61 60
2-SHARAN (IND) / VARDHAN (IND) d. CHO (KOR) / KIM (KOR) 61 63

QF
BRUGUES-DAVI (ESP) / D'AGORD (ITA) d. 1-GAJJAR (IND) / GHAREEB (KUW) W/O
4-LI (CHN) / WANG (CHN) d. WACHIRAMANOWONG (THA) / WU (CHN) 62 76(2)

CHEN (TPE) / KING (USA) d. 3-RUNGKAT (INA) / YANG (TPE) 63 64
2-SHARAN (IND) / VARDHAN (IND) d. SHOKEEN (IND) / VIRALI-MURUGESAN (IND) 76(1) 36 10-5

Rungkat fell in final qualifying, while Sie ended in second round at Kuala Lumpur 10K

Indonesia's numero uno Christopher Rungkat failed to qualify into the main draw of "Malaysia F1 Futures" with total prize money of US $ 10,000 at Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia, National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on June 15, 2009. Rungkat who was placed as 12th seed, began his outing by defeating Omar Sudzuka of Malta 6-0, 6-0 in Q1, then in Q2 Rungkat cruised past Palash Tiwari from India 6-2, 6-4. Eventually Rungkat bowed out to top seed Indian Ranjeet Virali-Murugesan 4-6, 1-6 in the final round of qualifying.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's number two Elbert Sie was granted wild card into the main draw. Sie has not played in any tourney since "Morocco F1 Futures" last January and in the opening round he edged past Chinese qualifier Wang Ying-Zheng 6-3, 6-2. Sie then was outclassed by eighth seed South Korean Kim Young-Jun 2-6, 1-6.

In doubles, Sie was partnered with local player Razlan Rawi and they got wild card, too. Duo Sie/Rawi immediately crashed out in the first round after they barely lost to Mark Mc Cook/Dane Propoggia from Australia 6-7(3), 4-6.

Singles

First Round
1-D'AGORD, Luigi (ITA) d. Q-WU, Di (CHN) 76(6) 76(4)
YU, Xin-Yuan (CHN) d. SHARAN, Divij (IND) 57 62 63
LL-KLEIN, Matheson (AUS) d. PR-KING, Phillip (USA) 26 62 63
6-MAMIIT, Cecil (PHI) d. LI, Zhe (CHN) 64 63

4-YANG, Tsung-Hua (TPE) d. VARDHAN, Vishnu (IND) 75 63
Q-WANG, Yu Jr. (CHN) d. PR-SHOKEEN, Vivek (IND) 26 64 62
WC-SIE, Elbert (INA) d. Q-WANG, Ying-Zheng (CHN) 63 62
8-KIM, Young-Jun (KOR) d. Q-MALIK, Vijayant (IND) 63 64

LEE, Hsin-Han (TPE) d. 5-LIM, Yong-Kyu (KOR) 63 36 62
GAJJAR, Rohan (IND) d. Q-VIRALI-MURUGESAN, Ranjeet (IND) 26 62 64
Q-KIM, Sun-Yong (KOR) d. SUN, Peng (CHN) 62 63
BRUGUES-DAVI, Arnau (ESP) d. 3-KING-TURNER, Daniel (NZL) 76(5) 5-2 Retired

7-AN, Jae-Sung (KOR) d. WC-RAWI, Razlan (MAS) 61 60
WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittiphong (THA) d. Q-GONZALES, Ruben (USA) 62 75
Q-RICE, David (GBR) d. KANG, Sung-Kyun (KOR) 46 75 62
WC-SI, Yew-Ming (MAS) d. 2-CHEN, Ti (TPE) 64 64

Second Round
1-D'AGORD, Luigi (ITA) d. YU, Xin-Yuan (CHN) 63 64
6-MAMIIT, Cecil (PHI) d. LL-KLEIN, Matheson (AUS) 62 64
4-YANG, Tsung-Hua (TPE) d. Q-WANG, Yu Jr. (CHN) 63 64
8-KIM, Young-Jun (KOR) d. WC-SIE, Elbert (INA) 62 61

LEE, Hsin-Han (TPE) d. GAJJAR, Rohan (IND) 46 75 63
BRUGUES-DAVI, Arnau (ESP) d. Q-KIM, Sun-Yong (KOR) 63 26 75
WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittiphong (THA) d. 7-AN, Jae-Sung (KOR) 64 63
Q-RICE, David (GBR) d. WC-SI, Yew-Ming (MAS) 62 62

QF
1-D'AGORD, Luigi (ITA) d. 6-MAMIIT, Cecil (PHI) 63 46 75
8-KIM, Young-Jun (KOR) d. 4-YANG, Tsung-Hua (TPE) 62 61

BRUGUES-DAVI, Arnau (ESP) d. LEE, Hsin-Han (TPE) 62 63
Q-RICE, David (GBR) d. WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittiphong (THA) 76(4) 76(5)

SF
1-D'AGORD, Luigi (ITA) d. 8-KIM, Young-Jun (KOR) 57 63 64
BRUGUES-DAVI, Arnau (ESP) d. Q-RICE, David (GBR) 61 46 62


Doubles

First Round
BRUGUES-DAVI, Arnau/D'AGORD, Luigi (ESP/ITA) d. 1-GAJJAR, Rohan/KING-TURNER, Daniel(IND/NZL) 63 62
AN, Jae-Sung/LIM, Yong-Kyu (KOR) d. KANG, Sung-Kyun/KIM, Young-Jun (KOR) 75 75

4-LI, Zhe/WANG, Yu Jr (CHN) d. SHOKEEN,Vivek/VIRALI-MURUGESAN, Ranjeet (IND) 63 61
A-SINGH, Navdeep/YU, Xin-Yuan (IND/CHN) d. A-KLEIN, Matheson/LETCHER, Chris (AUS) 57 63 10-8

MALIK, Vijayant/RICE, David (IND/GBR) d. CHEN, Ti/KING, Phillip (TPE/USA) 36 63 12-10
WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittipong/WU, Di (THA/CHN) d. 3-SHARAN, Divij/VARDHAN, Vishnu (IND) 16 61 10-5

MC COOK, Mark/PROPOGGIA, Dane (AUS) d. WC-RAWI, Razlan/SIE, Elbert (MAS/INA) 76(3) 64
2-LEE, Hsin-Han/YANG, Tsung-Hua (TPE) d. CHO, Soong-Jae/KIM, Sun-Yong (KOR) 62 64

QF
BRUGUES-DAVI, Arnau/D'AGORD, Luigi (ESP/ITA) d. AN, Jae-Sung/LIM, Yong-Kyu (KOR) 36 75 10-3
4-LI, Zhe/WANG, Yu Jr (CHN) d. A-SINGH, Navdeep/YU, Xin-Yuan (IND/CHN) 64 57 10-7

WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kittipong/WU, Di (THA/CHN) d. MALIK, Vijayant/RICE, David (IND/GBR) 61 64
2-LEE, Hsin-Han/YANG Tsung-Hua (TPE) d. MC COOK, Mark/PROPOGGIA, Dane (AUS) 76(6) 26 10-8

SF
BRUGUES-DAVI, Arnau/D'AGORD, Luigi (ESP/ITA) d. 4-LI, Zhe/WANG, YU Jr (CHN) 63 64
2-LEE, Hsin-Han/YANG Tsung-Hua (TPE) d. WACHIRAMANOWONG, Kttipong/WU, Di (THA/CHN) 63 64

Lucky Lacko grabs his second title at Fergana Challenger

Reaching his highest world rank at ATP 133 in October 2007, eight seed Lukas Lacko of Slovakia (rank at ATP 269 as at May 18, 2009) extended his winning streak as he grabbed his second title in challenger in the final of “Fergana Challenger” with total prize money of US $ 35,000 in Fergana, Uzbekistan last Sunday (May 24, 2009). In such close battle, Lacko came back from a set down and barely won over fifth seed Samuel Groth of Australia 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(4). So, it was worth a trip to the land of Iroda Tulyaganova and in his fourth challenger’s final appearance Lacko made another optimum result. His first final was at Rijeka Challenger in Croatia (May 2007) when he lost to local fave Marin Cilic 5-7, 2-6. While his first title came at Kolding Challenger, Denmark in October 2007 when he edged past Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 7-6(3), 6-4 in the final.

So, by now Lacko leads 2-0 in head to head with Samuel Groth. In his first outing against Groth, Lacko also barely defeated his opponent 7-6(3), 7-6(4) in Italy Futures of 2006. Lacko started his Davis Cup debut in 2006 when Slovakia played against Chile and he won a match over Chilean Adrian Garcia. Since then he maintained his presence in his country’s Davis Cup squad also in 2006 in a tie against Belgium, then against South Korea in 2007, and finally in 2008 against Georgia and Serbia. Meanwhile in grand slam tournaments, Lacko posted his best results as qualifier at Australian Open 2007 & 2008.

Photo of Lukas Lacko is courtesy of itftennis.com

Groth and Lacko into Fergana finals

Eight seed Lukas Lacko of Slovakia will challenge fifth seed Samuel Groth from Australia in the final of “Fergana Challenger” with total prize money of US $ 35,000 in Fergana, Uzbekistan after they battled past their opponents in semi-finals on Friday (May 22, 2009). Lacko extended his good form as he surprised fourth seed Illya Marchenko of Ukraine and won 6-2, 5-7, 6-1. Meanwhile Aussie Groth had relatively easier outing after he cruised past Russian qualifier Evgeny Kirillov 6-2, 6-3.

In doubles semi-finals, fourth seed pair Pavel Chekhov/Alexey Kedryuk (Russia/Kazakhstan) edged past unseeded duo Raven Klaasen/Danai Udomchoke (South Africa/Thailand) 6-3, 6-2, while second seed duet Pierre-Ludovic Duclos/Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi (Canada/Pakistan) defeated third seed Russian pair Evgeny Kirillov/Alexandre Kudryavtsev 6-4, 6-3. In the final, fourth seed duo Chekhov/Kedryuk came from behind to grab the title as they edged past second seed pair Duclos/Qureshi 4-6, 6-3, 10-5.

Top seeds in singles and doubles stumble

Top seed Danai “Pik” Udomchoke of Thailand was denied to extend his winning streak as he bowed out easily to eighth seed Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 1-6, 1-6 in quarterfinals at “Fergana Challenger” with total prize money of US $ 35,000 in Fergana, Uzbekistan on Thursday (May 21, 2009).

Another upset was made by fifth seed Aussie Samuel Groth who came back from behind to defeat third seed Alexandre Kudryavtsev from Russia with 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-2 victory. Meanwhile fourth seed Illya Marchenko of Ukraine faced stiff challenge but he prevailed to beat Canadian Pierre-Ludovic Duclos 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Last but not least, in the duel of Russian qualifiers, Evgeny Kirillov eased past his comrade Artem Sitak 6-1, 6-2.

In the meantime, top seed pair Sanchai Ratiwatana/Sonchat Ratiwatana from Thailand also forced to exit after they were beaten by duo Raven Klaasen/Danai Udomchoke (South Africa/Thailand) 6-7(5), 6-3, 8-10 in quarterfinals. In semi-finals, duet Klaasen/Udomchoke will face fourth seed pair Pavel Chekov/Alexey Kedryuk (Russia/Kazakhstan). In the last eight round, duo Chekov/Kedryuk overcame strong fight by Konstantin Kravchuk/Lukas Lacko (Russia/Slovakia) but they eventually won 6-7(3), 6-4, 10-5. Two more seeded pairs were advancing to the last four round as third seed Evgeny Kirillov/Alexandre Kudryavtsev from Russia edged past duo Chen Ti/Pavel Snobel (Chinese Taipei/Czech Republic) 7-5, 6-3. Then second seed pair Pierre-Ludovic Duclos/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Canada/Pakistan) outclassed wild card duet of Rifat Biktyakov/Christopher Rungkat (Uzbekistan/Indonesia) 6-1, 6-3.

Photos of The Ratiwatanas by nationmultimedia.com

Udomchoke keeps going strong

Top seed Danai “Pik” Udomchoke of Thailand stretched his winning streak as he cruised into quarterfinals at “Fergana Challenger” with total prize money of US $ 35,000 in Fergana, Uzbekistan. In the opening round Udomchoke did not have to work hard as he won easily 6-2, 6-1 over Russian Ilya Belyaev. He continued to march into the last eight round after ousting Dusan Lojda of Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2 in the second round.

Two major upsets colored the opening day with the early exit of second seed Pavel Snobel from Czech Republic and sixth seed Konstantin Kravchuk of Russia. Snobel bowed out to Russian qualifier Evgeny Kirillov as he could not handle his momentum and eventually lost 6-1, 3-6, 5-7. Meanwhile Kravchuk was surprised by South Korean Jun Woong-Sun as he was beaten 4-6, 3-6.

So, Udomchoke is the only Asian left standing into quarterfinals as five other Asians were all defeated in the second round. These five losers were Pakistani Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi; older brother of Chen Yi, Chen Ti from Chinese Taipei, local wild card Murad Inoyatov, South Korean Jun Woong-Sun and last but not least a qualifier and Songkhla born Kittipong Wachiramanowong of Thailand.

After his failure in singles’ qualifying, Indonesia’s numero uno Christopher Rungkat bet his action in doubles with local player Rifat Biktyakov. Wild card pair Rungkat/Biktyakov had to earn their quarterfinals’ ticket in a grueling opening round but they prevailed to beat Illya Marchenko/Ivan Sergeyev from Ukraine 6-4, 3-6, 10-8.

In the meantime, top seed pair Sanchai Ratiwatana/Sonchat Ratiwatana from Thailand faced tough labor in the opening set but then they were unstoppable to defeat Kamil Capkovic/Marek Semjan of Slovakia 7-6(5), 6-0. In quarterfinals, the Ratiwatanas will face duo Raven Klaasen/Danai Udomchoke (South Africa/Thailand). In the first round Klaasen/Udomchoke crushed local wild card duet Jakhongir Jalolov/Sergey Shipilov 6-1, 6-1.

Singles – 1st round - results
1-Danai Udomchoke THA d. Ilya Belyaev RUS 62 61
Dusan Lojda CZE d. Yuichi Sugita JPN 64 62
Raven Klaasen RSA d. WC-Vaja Uzakov UZB 62 62
8-Lukas Lacko SVK d. Marek Semjan SVK 46 61 75

4-Illya Marchenko UKR d. WC-Sergey Shipilov UZB 63 63
Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi PAK d. WC-Rifat Biktyakov UZB 46 63 62
Chen Ti TPE d. Q-Purav Raja IND 26 61 62
Pierre-Ludovic Duclos CAN d. 7-Kamil Capkovic SVK 76(6) 76(2)

5-Samuel Groth AUS d. Andrei Gorban MDA 76(0) 64
WC-Murad Inoyatov UZB d. Ivan Sergeyev UKR 64 16 75
Boy Westerhof NED d. Alexey Kedryuk KAZ 62 64
3-Alexandre Kudryavtsev RUS d. Pavel Chekhov RUS 64 61

Jun Woong-Sun KOR d. 6-Konstantin Kravchuk RUS 64 63
Q-Artem Sitak RUS d. Jun Mitsuhashi JPN 75 16 63
Q-Kittipong Wachiramanowong THA d. Chris Eaton GBR 63 75
Q-Evgeny Kirillov RUS d. 2-Pavel Snobel CZE 16 63 75

2nd round results
1-Danai Udomchoke THA d. Dusan Lojda CZE 64 62
8-Lukas Lacko SVK d. Raven Klaasen RSA 67(5) 62 63
4-Illya Marchenko UKR d. Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi PAK 57 64 62
Pierre-Ludovic Duclos CAN d. Chen Ti TPE 62 64

5-Samuel Groth AUS d. WC-Murad Inoyatov UZB 63 62
3-Alexandre Kudryavtsev RUS d. Boy Westerhof NED 63 64
Q-Artem Sitak RUS d. Jun Woong-Sun KOR 46 61 64
Q-Evgeny Kirillov RUS d. Q-Kittipong Wachiramanowong THA 36 60 63

Doubles – 1st round - results
1-Sanchai Ratiwatana/Sonchat Ratiwatana THA d. Kamil Capkovic/Marek Semjan SVK 76(5) 60
Raven Klaasen/Danai Udomchoke RSA/THA d. WC-Jakhongir Jalolov/Sergey Shipilov UZB 61 61

4-Pavel Chekov /Alexey Kedryuk RUS/KAZ d. Jun Mitsuhashi/Yuichi Sugita JPN 76(3) 46 15-13
Konstantin Kravchuk/Lukas Lacko RUS/SVK d. WC-Murad Inoyatov /Vaja Uzakov UZB 64 64

Chen Ti/Pavel Snobel TPE/CZE d. Q-Artem Sitak/Andrei Gorban MDA/RUS 62 64
3-Evgeny Kirillov/Alexandre Kudryavtsev RUS d. Samuel Groth/Purav Raja AUS/IND 46 61 11-9

WC-Rifat Biktyakov/Christopher Rungkat UZB/INA d. Illya Marchenko/Ivan Sergeyev UKR 64 36 10-8
2-Pierre-Ludovic Duclos/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi CAN/PAK vs Ilya Belyaev/Boy Westerhof RUS/NED – no result yet

Photo of Danai Udomchoke by news.bbc.co.uk

Rungkat falls in second round qualifying on the land of Oleg Ogorodov

Indonesia’s numero uno 19 years old Christopher Rungkat just a step away from playing his first ever 35K’s final qualifying but he failed to do so at “Fergana Challenger” in Fergana, Uzbekistan. In Q1 Rungkat crushed Doniyor Usmonov from Uzbekistan 6-1, 6-1 then in Q2 the son of Michael Rungkat and Elfia Nizarwan, could not secure his momentum after he sealed the opening set then eventually lost to fifth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia 6-4, 3-6, 2-6. Now small yet energetic Rungkat will bet on his doubles’ action as he is partnered with local player, Rifat Biktyakov, thanks to wild card facility. In contrast, fourth seed Thai Kittipong Wachiramanowong cruised through as qualifier.

Recent winner of Busan 75K in South Korea, Danai “Pik” Udomchoke of Thailand tops the singles’ main draw as first seed. Meanwhile Thai twin brothers, Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana also placed as the top seed in the doubles’ main draw. The Ratiwatanas completed Thais’ clean sweep at Busan 75 K this past week-end.

Qualifying rounds

Q1 results
1-Evgeny Kirillov RUS - BYE
Temur Ismailov UZB d. Odil Akramov UZB 63 16 64
Abror Isakov UZB d. Jakhongir Khaydarov UZB 64 63
8-WC-Ervand Gasparyan RUS d. Maxim Rakovskiy UZB 62 62

2-Irakli Labadze GEO - BYE
Djanibek Orazoliev UZB d. Botir Sapaev UZB 76(6) 64
Aziz Yuldashev UZB d. Umid Shabidinov UZB 61 64
6-Purav Raja IND d. Artem Tarasov UZB 61 64

3-Artem Sitak RUS - BYE
Aleksandr Dmitriev UZB d. Shokruh Madrahimov UZB 61 62
Christopher Rungkat INA d. Doniyor Usmonov UZB 61 61
5-Nikoloz Basilashvili GEO – BYE

4-Kittipong Wachiramanowong THA - BYE
Daniyar Duldaev KAZ d. Pulat Babadjanov UZB 62 63
Arsen Asanov UZB d. Sardor Pulatov UZB 63 64
7-Sarvar Ikramov UZB d. Jakhongir Jalolov UZB 61 46 63

Q2 results
1-Evgeny Kirillov RUS d. Temur Ismailov UZB 60 63
8-WC-Ervand Gasparyan RUS d. Abror Isakov UZB 76(6) 64
2-Irakli Labadze GEO d. Djanibek Orazoliev UZB 62 16 63
6-Purav Raja IND d. Aziz Yuldashev UZB 63 60

3-Artem Sitak RUS d. Aleksandr Dmitriev UZB 60 60
5-Nikoloz Basilashvili GEO d. Christopher Rungkat INA 46 63 62
4-Kittipong Wachiramanowong THA d. Daniyar Duldaev KAZ 61 61
7-Sarvar Ikramov UZB d. Arsen Asanov UZB 63 63

Qualifying final results
1-Evgeny Kirillov RUS d. 8-WC-Ervand Gasparyan RUS 76(8) 64
6-Purav Raja IND d. 2-Irakli Labadze GEO 46 61 62
3-Artem Sitak RUS d. 5-Nikoloz Basilashvili GEO 46 60 62
4-Kittipong Wachiramanowong THA d. 7-Sarvar Ikramov UZB 61 62

Singles – Main Draw
1-Danai Udomchoke THA vs Ilya Belyaev RUS
Yuichi Sugita JPN vs Dusan Lojda CZE
Raven Klaasen RSA vs WC-Vaja Uzakov UZB
8-Lukas Lacko SVK vs Marek Semjan SVK

4-Illya Marchenko UKR vs WC-Sergey Shipilov UZB
WC-Rifat Biktyakov UZB vs Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi PAK
Chen Ti TPE vs Q-Purav Raja IND
7-Kamil Capkovic SVK vs Pierre-Ludovic Duclos CAN

5-Samuel Groth AUS vs Andrei Gorban MDA
Ivan Sergeyev UKR vs WC-Murad Inoyatov UZB
Alexey Kedryuk KAZ vs Boy Westerhof NED
3-Alexandre Kudryavtsev RUS vs Pavel Chekhov RUS

6-Konstantin Kravchuk RUS vs Jun Woong-Sun KOR
Jun Mitsuhashi JPN vs Q-Artem Sitak RUS
Chris Eaton GBR vs Q-Kittipong Wachiramanowong THA
2-Pavel Snobel CZE vs Q-Evgeny Kirillov RUS

Doubles – Main Draw

1-Sanchai Ratiwatana/Sonchat Ratiwatana THA vs Kamil Capkovic/Marek Semjan SVK
Raven Klaasen/Danai Udomchoke RSA/THA vs WC-Jakhongir Jalolov/Sergey Shipilov UZB
4-Pavel Chekov /Alexey Kedryuk RUS/KAZ vs Jun Mitsuhashi/Yuichi Sugita JPN
WC-Murad Inoyatov /Vaja Uzakov UZB vs Konstantin Kravchuk/Lukas Lacko RUS/SVK

Chen Ti/Pavel Snobel TPE/CZE vs Qualifier
3-Evgeny Kirillov/Alexandre Kudryavtsev RUS vs Samuel Groth/Purav Raja AUS/IND
Illya Marchenko /Ivan Sergeyev UKR vs WC-Rifat Biktyakov/Christopher Rungkat UZB/INA
2-Pierre-Ludovic Duclos/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi CAN/PAK vs Ilya Belyaev/Boy Westerhof RUS/NED

Photo of Christopher Rungkat by Adji Soedibjo

Rungkat/Thompson failed to secure back to back title

After exited in the first round of singles, Christopher Rungkat continued his hope only in doubles at "Malaysia Futures 2" with total prize money of US $ 15,000 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. With his same partner as last week, fourth seeded Rungkat and Nathan Thompson of USA defeated Siarhei Betau/Andrei Karatchenia of Belarus 6-3, 7-6(4) in the quarter-final.

In the semi-final, duo Rungkat/Thompson bowed out to top seeded pair, Mikal Statham/Yu Xin-Yuan (New Zealand/China) 3-6, 4-6. In their fourth time as pair, Rungkat/Thompson had to be content with this eventual result.

Meanwhile at these two 15Ks, currently world ranked 285 from Australia, Nick Lindahl ran out of gas as the season approached its end. After taking his second title of the year at Australia 15K, in the first leg of Malaysia 15K in Kuala Lumpur last week, as second seeded Lindahl lost to Thai Kittiphong Wachiramanowong 6-4, 3-6, 5-7 in the second round. This week in the second leg here in Petaling Jaya, second son of Swedish father and Indonesian mother crashed out immediately in the opening round. Runner-up at Australian Open Junior Grand Slam in 2006, as third seeded Lindahl bowed out to China's Gong Mao-Xin 5-7, 0-6.

Picture of Henri Kontinen & Christopher Rungkat as 2008 French Open doubles' champion is courtesy of AP/Laurent Baheux

Photo of Thompson - by Adji Soedibjo at Thai Futures (02/2008)