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| 27 May 2002 | |
| Dabul and Strycova head Roland Garros junior acceptances |
Brian Dabul (ARG) and Barbora Strycova (CZE), the world’s No. 1 ranked players, head the acceptances for the Roland Garros junior event from 2-9 June. The 2002 championship has attracted an extremely strong field with 19 of the world’s top 20 boys and 16 of the top 20 girls taking part.
Eighteen year-old Dabul will be looking to improve his runner-up placing of 2001, when he was defeated in the final by Spain’s Carlos Cuadrado. He took over the No. 1 ranking at the end of January, and captured his first title of the year in Santa Croce earlier this month following up with the perfect preparation by winning the Grade A Italian Open.
A strong French challenge is headed by the surprise Australian Open junior champion Clement Morel, but most attention will be on 15 year-old Richard Gasquet, who hit the headlines by qualifying for the Tennis Masters Series Monte Carlo, where he went on to reach the second round. Gasquet has been awarded a wild card into the main draw of the men’s singles makes his debut on the Suzanne Lenglen court on Monday against Albert Costa of Spain.
Among the other leading names taking part are 2001 Orange Bowl champion Robin Soderling (SWE), 2002 Banana Bowl winner Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) and Lamine Ouahab (ALG), a losing semifinalist in Paris last year. Also in action is 2001 Australian Open champion Janko Tipsarevic (YUG), who makes an unexpected return to junior competition for the first time this year.
In the girls’ singles, 16 year-old Strycova faces a tough battle if she is to add the Roland Garros title to her success at the Australian Open in January.
Among her rivals is 2001 ITF World Junior Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS), also 16, who was defeated by Kaia Kanepi in last year’s final, and was also runner-up at the US Open. However, like Dabul Strycova showed she is in great form by taking the Italian Open crown in Milan.
Marion Bartoli, who defeated Kuznetsova in the US Open final, will carry French hopes, and like Gasquet, has received a wild card into the main draw of the senior event, making her debut on Tuesday against Ai Sugiyama of Japan.
A strong challenge is also expected from Switzerland’s Myriam Casanova, twice a winner over Strycova in 2002. Casanova has already made an impression on the senior circuit this year, representing Switzerland in the Fed Cup and reaching her first tour final in Budapest.
Among the other leading entries are 2001 Wimbledon Champion Angelique Widjaja (INA), three-time Grand Slam doubles champion Gisela Dulko (ARG), and 15 year-old Russian Maria Sharapova, runner-up to Strycova at the Australian Open.
Check ITFjuniors.com daily from Sunday 2nd June for all the latest action from Roland Garros.
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