"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

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