DAVIS Cup newcomers Melvin Tong and Thorsten Poelzl salvaged some pride for Hong Kong when they beat their Indonesian opponents in the dead singles rubbers at the Victoria Park yesterday. Captain David Ho Wai-tak opted to play the two teenagers in the reverse singles as Hong Kong had already lost the tie - dropping the two opening singles on Friday and the doubles match on Saturday. The two 19-year-olds were determined to show their ability before the home crowd and took advantage of the Indonesians' half-hearted attitude. Tong defeated Indonesian number one Benny Wijaya 6-4, 6-2 while Poelzl, who partnered Michael Walker in the doubles on Saturday, downed SEA Games champion Suwandi 6-4, 6-1. The victories are seen as a step in the right direction towards introducing younger players. ''We put in Melvin and Thorsten to give them the experience of playing Davis Cup singles and although the matches didn't mean much, we were delighted with the results,'' Ho said. Michael Walker, beaten by Wijaya in the opening singles, had hinted after the doubles defeat that he would step down after being in the team for four years. The 27-year-old left-hander was originally named Hong Kong's non-playing captain for this tie but was recalled to action following the unavailability of Sven Koehler and Bill Young.
