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| 09 Dec 2001 | |
| Mikaelian Returns to Juniors as BURGER KING Orange Bowl No. 1 seed |
Most junior tennis players aspire for a top professional ranking. Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian, the No. 1 seed in the 55th Annual BURGER KING Orange Bowl Girls’ 18s, already has one. The seventeen-year-old, who resides in Yens, Switzerland, but represents Armenia in junior competition, finished the year ranked No. 75 on the SANEX WTA Tour.
The BURGER KING Orange Bowl singles champions in the Boys’ and Girls’ 18-and-under categories will be awarded wild card entries into the Ericsson Open qualifying rounds, but Mikaelian will most likely be in the main draw based on her pro ranking. She returned to junior competition this month, looking for more match play and the chance to end her junior career with a major title.
"I came here to play matches, enjoy myself and learn," Mikaelian said. "I want to get some more experience. The Orange Bowl is such an important junior tournament. Armenia has been so great to me during my junior career. I want to thank them for everything they’ve done by trying to win this title."
December is traditionally a dormant time on the professional tennis circuit and the most active time on the International Tennis Federation’s World Junior Ranking Circuit. Last week, Mikaelian won the Prince Cup, an Orange Bowl tune-up event for players not competing in the ITF Sunshine and Connolly Continental Cups, the junior equivalent to Davis Cup and Fed Cup.
Sunday Makaelian defeated Alexandra McGoodwin of Ft. Lauderdale, 6-2, 6-0, in first round action at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park, home of the Ericsson Open, on Key Biscayne.
Mikaelian posted outstanding results on the professional circuit this season. She reached her first tour-level final at the clay court event in Basie, Switzerland. She advanced through qualifying to reach the main draw of the US Open and the semifinals in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In her final WTA tour appearance of the year, she advanced through qualifying to reach the quarterfinals of Zurich, where she lost to Jennifer Capriati, 6-4, 6-2.
"It was a dream come true for me to play the Jennifer, the World No. 1, at home," said Mikaelian. "It was such a big thing."
Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia and Eva Birnerova of Czech Republic, the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds respectively, did not play on Sunday. Reigning US Open girls’ singles champion, Marion Bartoli of France, easily advanced to the second round with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Diane Srebovic of Canada.
In boy’s action, seven of the Top 16 seeds had the day off. No. 2 seed Janko Tipsarevic, the reigning Australian Open boys’ singles champion, got a major scare from qualifier Stefan Tell of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The Australian Open champion rallied from a set down before posting a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (2) win.
No.7 seed Stephane Bohli of Switzerland defeated qualifier Goran Dragicevic of Newport Richey, Fla., 6-3, 6-1. Bohli will face American Rajeev Ram, a straight-sets winner over Canadian Stephan Timu, in the second round.
The only seeded boy to fall on Sunday was No. 13 Luka Gregorc of Slovenia. Gregorc fell to Sweden’s Tobias Virdhage, 6-1, 6-1.
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