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| 15 Dec 2000 | |
| Youthful Matchcup in Girls 18s Quarterfinals |
Youthful Matchup In Girls 18s Quarterfinals
On one side of the net will be 15-year old Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. She is the No. 6 seed in the Orange Bowl, and including the Connolly Continental Cup competition last week, has won eight straight singles matches in Key Biscayne over a 10-day period. In the current ITF rankings, she is No. 3 in the world. Kanepi plays a powerful game.
On the other side will be qualifier Shuai Peng, a 14-year old from China
who is just beginning to play in the 18s - she won the Prince Cup in Miami last week in the older age group. She is hardly a secret, though, after
wining four straight junior ITF 16s tournaments between November 1999 and February 2000. Peng has showed poise this week.
Kanepi, who swept by Anna Bastrikova of Russia (6-4, 6-2) on Thursday, is surprised at her own success. "In September I was playing very bad," she says. "I thought if I finished in the best 50, it would be very good. But now I think I can get the top 10. Itıs very surprising. My father and all the Estonian people hope I play very good."
On Thursday, Peng upset Mari-Eve Pelletier, the No. 4 seeded Canadian. Peng won the first set, 6-4, and the first game of the second before Pelletier ripped off four straight games. Lose composure? The 14-year old won the next five games to finish the match in two sets.
"I'm happy I won," she said through a translator. "I was anxious to finish the match after the first set and I started making more mistakes. Then I was able to settle down."
Kanepi vs. Peng. A glimpse of future stars on the women's circuit?
Girls 18s Notes: best quarterfinal matchups are No. 1 seed Aniko Kapros of Hungary vs. No. 9 Jelena Jankovic of Yugoslavia and No. 2 Renata Voracova Czechoslovakia vs. No. 10 Edina Gallovits of Romania. Still in the draw is Dominika Nociarova of the Slovak Republic. Along the way she beat top American Ashley Harkleroad, 6-2, 6-3, and Thursday easily disposed of Romanian Ioana Gasper, the No. 3 seed, 6-4, 6-3. She'll face No.14 Vera Zvonareva Friday. Kanepi, the No. 6 seed, moved ahead of No. 1 seed Aniko Kapros in the current ITF junior rankings. Kanepi is No. 3 and Kapros No. 4.
Girls 16s Notes: Sisters Daniela and Myriam Casanova will play each other in the quarterfinals on Friday. Older sibling Daniela is the No. 8 seed; the two have played each other in several satellite pro tournaments, but never in an ITF junior event.
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