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| 03 Oct 2002 | |
| The World Junior Championship race arrives in Japan |
The penultimate Grade A tournament of the year kicks off on 7th October in Japan. The Osaka Mayor’s Cup – World Super Junior Championships is traditionally a tournament that attracts top players attempting to keep their dreams of becoming World Junior Champion alive. This year is no different with Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) and Maria Kirilenko (RUS), currently No.2 in the boys’ and girls’ ranking respectively, in search of vital ranking points.
Marcos Baghdatis knows he is still in with a shout of snatching the World Junior Champion title from Richard Gasquet if he can perform well in Japan. The Cypriot, who trains in Paris, finished runner up to Gasquet at the US Open and is obviously determined not to finish the year in the same position. Baghdatis is the defending champion in Japan and undoubtedly the favourite to pick up the Osaka Mayor's Cup title for the second time. However, the importance of defending the points won last year and keeping the possibility alive of Grade A bonus points, will mean the pressure is really on. If he can hold his nerve the points are there for the taking.
Two American boys, Chris Kwon and Brendan Evans, will be looking to stop Baghdatis in his tracks. Kwon has traditionally performed well in Asia, picking up the Grade 1 Amata Cup in Thailand in March and finishing runner up in the Grade 1 Japan Open Junior Championships in April. Sixteen year old Brendan Evans has so far achieved better results in doubles on the ITF Junior Circuit, winning two Grade 1 titles, and in 2001 taking the runners up spot at the US Open. Nevertheless, the tall bleached blond American was recently part of the silver medal winning US team at the Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas where he more than proved his skills as a singles player. In Japan Evans could make the breakthrough on the singles circuit that he has been promising.
Croatians Davor Kuseta and Tomislav Hadzic could also pose a threat. The boys, who unsurprisingly both list Goran Ivanisevic as their favourite player, have both reached the quarterfinals of Grade A tournaments, Kuseta at the Coffee Bowl in Uruguay and Hadzic at the 2001 Osaka Mayor's Cup.
In the girls’ draw Maria Kirilenko stands out as the obvious favourite for the title. A win for the US Open champion will close the gap on current No.1 Barbora Strycova, thus setting up a nail biting end of year race for the World Junior Champion title. Along with her US Open title, Kirilenko has won two Grade 1 titles and reached the semis at a further two Grade A tournaments in 2002, proving that she really is a force to be reckoned with.
History may play against Kirilenko’s plans, as traditionally the girl’s draw in Japan seems to be totally in the grasp of the Czech Republic. Czech girls have claimed the title for the past three years, Daja Bedanova in 1999, Renata Voracova in 2000 and Eva Birnerova in 2001. Looking to hold up the tradition of Czech success in Japan, and do their compatriot Barbora Strycova a favour in the process, will be Lucie Safarova and Andrea Hlavackova. Fifteen year old Safarova is currently ranked No.17 and has already picked up three ITF Junior Circuit titles and reached a further three finals. Hlavackova is currently in great form, as part of the Czech Republic team she picked up a silver medal at the Junior Fed Cup last month, and followed up with her first ITF Junior Circuit title at the Grade 2 Leciva Czech Junior Open.
Rui Du could represent Asia’s best chance of victory. At last month’s Junior Fed Cup she led the Chinese team to finish in a very respectable 4th place, and has already picked up two circuit titles.
Keep up to date with results from Japan and follow the race to be World Junior Champion every day at ITFjuniors.com
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