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Indonesia gains upper hand against Kenya in Davis Cup
Despite being in the lead, Indonesia’s nonplaying captain Febi Widhiyanto said that he would still deploy Christopher Rungkat in the men’s doubles match on Saturday to secure the victory.
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Good impression: Indonesian tennis player Christopher Rungkat meets his opponent, Kenyan Sheil Kotecha during the Davis Cup qualifier group 2 held at the Gelora Bung Karno tennis stadium on Friday. Christo won 6-1, 6-2. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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ndonesia gained the upper hand against Kenya on the first day of the Davis Cup World Group II tennis playoff after leading 2-0 with ace Christopher Rungkat still showing that he is the one to look out for on court.
Despite being in the lead, Indonesia’s nonplaying captain Febi Widhiyanto said that he would still deploy Christo in the men’s doubles match on Saturday to secure the victory.
In the draw held on Thursday, Christo's name was not listed in the doubles category as he was prepared only to play in the singles matches. Indonesia previously named the junior combination of M. Rifqi Fitriadi and Gunawan Trismuwantara in the doubles category, which will open Saturday’s contest.
“I will definitely deploy him [Christo]. And I am still considering which player will be paired up with him. I will ask the players about their readiness and I will deploy the best pair,” he said after Friday’s match.
Christo stands as world number 80 in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking. Before Friday's contest began, the Davis Cup gave Christo a commitment award for his participation in the men’s team tournament. Christo has represented his country 23 times in the Davis Cup.
In Friday’s match, Christo opened the pathway for the team by stunning Sheil Kotecha in a straight 6-1, 6-2. Even though Christo has not played any singles matches in international tournaments since 2018, the 30-year-old was still too strong for Kenya’s first single.
David Agung Susanto, who was deployed as Indonesia’s second single, performed his duty well by securing victory over Ismael Changawa Ruwa Mzai 6-2, 6-4.
Kenya’s nonplaying captain Rosemary Owino applauded the performance of both Indonesian singles saying they played well and intelligently.
“Today is one day. I told you one of us would like to go to bed with a 2-0 lead. But [Friday’s result] never means that the tie is over. It makes tomorrow more interesting,” she said.
