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| 20 Jan 2003 | |
| Seeds fall as the heat rises in Melbourne |
By Eleanor Preston
The first Grand Slam of the year, when there are new faces on the scene
and the year is still in its infancy, always produces
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The first Grand Slam of the year,
when there are new faces on the scene and the year is still in its infancy,
always produces a few surprises. Day one of the 2003 Australian Open junior
tournament was no different; producing two major upsets in both the boys’ and
girls’ first rounds.
Third seeded American Chris Kwon’s
6-3, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Canadian qualifier Dejan Cvetkovic set the tone
for the day. Bernard Deussner and Britain’s Guy Thomas were the day’s other
giantkillers. Deussner beat seventh seed Adrian Ungur 7-5, 6-4; while Thomas
disposed of the ninth-seeded American Scott Oudsema.
For Cvetkovic, beating Kwon marked
quite a turnaround. Twelve months ago he lost in the qualifying competition at
Melbourne Park. This year he qualified with ease and said those wins gave him
the confidence he needed to beat Kwon. “A year ago I was here on a guest pass,”
he laughed. “So that makes it extra satisfying. I’ve played him (Kwon) a lot
and I know his game pretty well and I have been playing very well myself lately
so I knew I had a good chance. I served really well and I think that was the
key today.” He now plays Germany’s Eric Scherer in the second round.
Elsewhere in the boys’ competition,
top seed Marcos Baghdatis from Cyprus and second seed Brian Baker both managed
to secure comfortable wins despite the stifling temperatures on court.
The smoke still visible in the air
from the bushfires which have been raging a few hours drive away in the
Australian capital Canberra was an indication of how brutal the Australian
summer can be. The players scarcely needed reminding though, and at one stage
play on the outside courts was suspended to protect the players from
temperatures which touched the high 30s.
Other players who notched up first
round wins included last year’s Australian Open semi-finalist and fifth seed
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga; eleventh-seed David Brewer and Australia’s brightest junior
hope, Chris Guccione.
Sixth seed Florian Mergea’s match
certainly got more than its fair share of attention but that may have had
plenty to do with his opponent, Sergei Bubka. Bubka’s father – and namesake –
was an Olympic gold medallist and one of the world’s best known pole-vaulter.
“It’s strange because so many people
come to you and say ‘you’re the son of a famous father,’” he said. “I think
it’s different to other people.”
Bubka, who turns 16 in February,
gave Mergea a torrid time in the latter stages of their match but he was
powerless to stop his first ever Grand Slam match ending in defeat, Mergea won
6-2, 7-6(2).
In the girls’ event, the day’s
biggest shock was undoubtedly Nicole Vaidisova’s gutsy 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 win over
the tournament’s second seed, Jarmila Gajdosova. Fourth seed Ryoko Fuda was
another casualty. She was beaten 6-3, 6-1 by Romania’s Madalina Gojnea.
Eighth seed Anna
Hlavackova, fourteenth seed Eden Marama, seventh seed Katerina Bohmova and
eleventh seed Silvana Bauer all scored wins.
Photographs by Ron Angle
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