On the second day of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Semifinal in Surabaya, Wayne Wong and Yu Hiu Tung played arguably some of their best doubles ever to force a deciding set against the accomplished Indonesian duo of Suwandi Suwandi and Bonit Wiryawan before going down in a no pride lost five-setter, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

The doubles victory thus gave Indonesia an insurmountable 3-0 lead and they will progress to the Group II Final in September where they will face Kazakhstan for the right to promotion next year, as Alexey Kedriouk and Dmitri Makeyev also wrapped up their semifinal tie against the visiting Kiwis with a 7-5, 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-6(5), win against Alistair Hunt and Daniel King-Turner on Saturday.

Suwandi and Wiryawan are currently ranked No. 501 in the world, with their last pro title coming at the Week 4 Masters of the Indonesia 1 Satellite in October 2005. Together, the pair had won four titles on the ITF Men's Circuit, while finishing runners-up on no less than four other occasions. The duo's best result on tour, however, was a semifinal showing at the US$328,000 Jakarta Grand Prix in 1995 (an ATP World Series event) where they beat third seeds, Jim Pugh and Shelby Cannon, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, in round one before exiting at the hands of top seed and eventual champions, David Adams and Andrei Olhovskiy, 7-5, 6-3.

Wiryawan holds three of the six Indonesian all-time Davis Cup records in Most Doubles Wins (14-10), Best Doubles Team (6-4) with Sulistyo Wibowo, and Most Years Played (15), while Suwandi owns the remaining three in Most Total Wins (30-28), Most Singles Wins (22-26), and Most Ties Played (30). In short, Wayne and Tung fell just shy of beating the home side's two most decorated Davis Cuppers.

Having said that, Hong Kong is now winless against Indonesia in three Davis Cup match-ups dating back to 1973.

Meanwhile in Beirut, Mohammed Al Ghareeb and Mohammad-Khaliq Siddiq defeated Antoine Braikeh and John El Khoury, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3, to ensure Kuwait's place in Group II in 2007, while Lebanon will have to contend with Group III action in their next campaign. In the other Group II relegation playoff, veterans Selvam Veerasingam and Si Yew-Ming gave Malaysia a 2-1 lead when they defeated Pacific Oceania's Brett Baudinet and Juan-Sebastien Langton, 6-4, 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(3), in the doubles earlier yesterday. The opening reverse singles on Sunday will pit Michael Leong against Si Yew-Ming.

Elsewhere, up in Asia/Oceania Zone Group I, a right quadriceps injury to Yi Chu-Huan forced Taiwan to concede the doubles when they were trailing Lee Hyung-Taik and Chung Hee-Seok, 6-3, 6-1. With a 2-1 lead, Lee will be hoping to clinch the semifinal tie against opposing number one, Wang Yeu-Tzuoo, first up on Sunday. Chen Ti and Jun Woong-Sun are slated for the fifth and deciding rubber if necessary.

In the other Group I semifinal, Thailand wasted no time in finishing off the visiting Japanese team in Bangkok, as Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana brushed aside Satoshi Iwabuchi and Toshihide Matsui, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, to secure the tie-clincher after Danai Udomchoke had come from two sets to one down to slay Go Soeda, 7-5, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3, late Friday night to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.

In Tashkent, the full-strength squad of Sun Peng, Wang Yu, Yu Xin-Yuan, and Zeng Shao-Xuan were no match for Denis Istomin's Uzbekistan, as the reigning Asian Championships titleholder teamed up with Murad Inoyatov to beat Yu Xin-Yuan and Zeng Shao-Xuan, 7-6(5), 7-5, 7-6(4), to send China to a relegation playoff with either India or Pakistan.

At the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, the Indians secured the doubles rubber as expected when Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi easily accounted for Jalil Khan and Asim Shafik, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, to give the hosts a 2-1 lead heading into the final day's reverse singles where Prakash Amritraj will be seeking for the tie-clinching rubber against Pakistani number one, Aisam Qureshi.


Results
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas
Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Semifinals
7-9 April 2006

I n d o n e s i a   v   H o n g   K o n g
The Pores Tennis Club, Surabaya (outdoor hardcourts)

R-1 Prima Simpatiaji (INA) d. Wayne Wong (HKG) 6-4 6-3 2-6 6-3
R-2 Febi Widhiyanto (INA) d. Yu Hiu Tung (HKG) 6-3 6-4 6-4
R-3 Suwandi Suwandi/Bonit Wiryawan (INA) d. Wayne Wong/Yu Hiu Tung (HKG) 1-6 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-2
R-4 Prima Simpatiaji (INA) v Yu Hiu Tung (HKG)
R-5 Febi Widhiyanto (INA) v Wayne Wong (HKG)

Indonesia defeated Hong Kong   3 - 0


Kazakhstan v New Zealand
Sports Complex Baganashil, Almaty (indoor hardcourts)

R-1 Alexey Kedriouk (KAZ) d. Adam Thompson (NZL) 6-2 6-3 6-1
R-2 Dmitri Makeyev (KAZ) d. Daniel King-Turner (NZL) 6-4 6-4 3-6 6-3
R-3 Alexey Kedriouk/Dmitri Makeyev (KAZ) d. Alistair Hunt/D. King-Turner (NZL) 7-5 6-4 6-7(6) 7-6(5)
R-4 Alexey Kedriouk (KAZ) v Daniel King-Turner (NZL)
R-5 Dmitri Makeyev (KAZ) v Adam Thompson (NZL)

Kazakhstan defeated New Zealand   3 - 0

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas
Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Relegation Playoffs
7-9 April 2006

Lebanon v Kuwait
CSJ Club, Beirut (outdoor clay)

R-1 Abdullah Magdas (KUW) d. Antoine Braikeh (LIB) 6-1 6-1 6-1
R-2 Mohammad Al Ghareeb (KUW) d. John El Khoury (LIB) 6-3 6-1 6-0
R-3 M. Al Ghareeb/Mohamed-Khaliq Siddiq (KUW) d. Antoine Braikeh/J. El Khoury (LIB) 6-1 6-1 6-1
R-4 Antoine Braikeh (LIB) v Mohammad Al Ghareeb (KUW)
R-5 John El Khoury (LIB) v Abdullah Magdas (KUW)

Kuwait defeated Lebanon   3 - 0


Pacific Oceania v Malaysia
Ligue Caledonienne de Tennis, New Caledonia (outdoor hardcourts)

R-1 Si Yew-Ming (MAS) d. West Nott (POC) 2-6 1-6 1-2 retired
R-2 Michael Leong (POC) d. Selvam Veerasingam (MAS) 6-3 6-3 6-1
R-3 Si Yew-Ming/Selvam Veerasingam (MAS) d. Brett Baudinet/J-S Langton (POC) 6-4 7-6(6) 3-6 7-6(3)
R-4 Michael Leong (POC) v Si Yew-Ming (MAS)
R-5 West Nott (POC) v Selvam Veerasingam (MAS)

Malaysia leads Pacific Oceania   2 - 1