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| 14 Dec 2001 | |
| Mexico's Resurgence Evident at BURGER KING Orange Bowl |
With the 55th Annual BURGER KING Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships as their final junior event, Mexico’s Santiago Gonzalez and Bruno Echagaray are showing that they and their country will be forces to be reckon with for years to come.
Gonzalez upset No. 3 seed Brian Dabul, 6-1, 6-4, in the Boys’ 18s quarterfinals. He will face Sweden’s Robin Soderling, a 7-6 (3), 6-4 winner over Philipp Petzschner, in the semifinals.
Following his singles victory, Gonzalez then teamed with Echagaray to defeat Americans Alex Bogomolov and Travis Rettenmaier in a thrilling doubles quarterfinal, 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (3) that was a rematch of the decisive rubber in the ITF Sunshine Cup tie between the U.S. and Mexico a week earlier.
"We didn’t play a great match but we stayed focused the whole time. That was the difference today," said Echagaray of his doubles victory. "Of course we want to win, but the biggest thing for us is to enjoy our last big junior tournament together."
The Mexican duo is the defending Orange Bowl doubles champion, seeded No. 1 this week and is seeking their seventeenth career doubles title together on the ITF World Junior Ranking Circuit. They led Mexico to a fourth-place finish in the ITF Sunshine Cup (their best showing since winning the title in 1963) and have already helped their team to Davis Cup success.
Mexico’s future in tennis, however, is not limited to Echagaray’s and Gonzalez’ doubles exploits. Echagaray was a semifinalist at the Orange Bowl last year and won the Eddie Herr International two weeks ago where Johnny Hamai was the runner-up in the Boys’ 12s. Unseeded Luis Flores upset No. 2 seed Adrian Ungur in the Boys’ 16s quarterfinals here and Melissa Torres advanced to the Girls’ 18s doubles semifinals with Neyssa Etienne of Haiti.
"Mexican tennis is doing well," adds Echagaray, who faces Juan Monaco in a Boys’ 18s quarterfinal match on Friday. "We’re working hard in Mexico and the results show how dedicated the kids are to developing their games."
The other remaining Boys’ 18s quarterfinal match pits Bogomolov and Philippe Moukhometov.
In the girls’ 18s singles, defending champ Vera Zvonareva ousted No. 1 seed Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian in a brilliant quarterfinal match on worthy of its Stadium Court setting. For the second consecutive day, Mikaelian won the opening set but was extended to a decisive third set. This time, however, she was unsuccessful in regaining the momentum and fell to Russian, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Zvonareva’s next opponent is countrywoman Anna Bastrikova, who turned back No. 7 Virag Nemeth of Hungary, 6-1, 6-4. Bastrikova was the only unseeded quarterfinalist in the Girls’ 18s.
No boy or girl has successfully defended the Orange Bowl 18s singles title since Lynn Epstein won the event in 1974 and 1975.
The bottom half quarterfinals between No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No. 6 Jelena Jankovic and No. 4 Marion Bartoli versus No. 5 Ashley Harkleroad will be played on Friday.
55th Annual BURGER KING Orange Bowl International Junior Tennis Championships
Tennis Center at Crandon Park
Key Biscayne, Fla.
December 9-16
Thursday, December 13
Boys’ 18s Singles – Quarterfinals
Robin Soderling (5), Sweden, d. Philipp Petzschner (15), Germany, 7-6 (3), 6-4
Santiago Gonzalez (11), Mexico, d. Brian Dabul (3), Argentina, 6-1, 6-2
Girls’ 18s Singles – Quarterfinals
Vera Zvonareva (8), Russia, d. Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian, Armenia, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Anna Bastrikova, Russia, d. Virag Nemeth (7), Hungary, 6-1, 6-4
Boys’ 16s Singles – Quarterfinals
Brendan Evans (5), Key Biscayne, Fla., d. Dejan Cvetkovic, Canada, 6-2, 6-0
Floria Mergea (6), Romania, d. Kamil Capkovic, Slovak Republic, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4)
Peter Steinberger, Germany, d. Karolj Fador (1), Yugoslavia, 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2
Luis Flores, Mexico, d. Adrian Ungur (2), Romania, 6-3, 6-1
Girls’ 16s Singles – Quarterfinals
Megan Falcon, Alameda, Calif., d. Marine Giraud, France, 6-3, 6-0
Whitney Deason (16), Houston, d. Alexandra Orasanu, Romania, 6-1, 6-1
Theresa Logar (7), Rochester Hills, Mich., d. Katharine Baker (13), Great Britain, 6-3, 6-3
Delia Sesciorenau (2), Romani, d. Micaela Moran, Argentina, 6-2, 7-6 (5)
Schedule of Play (singles only)
Friday, December 14th
Stadium Court
11 a.m. Girls’ 18s Quarterfinals: Ashley Harkleroad (5), Wesley Chapel, Fla., vs. Marion Bartoli (4), France
Court 1
9 a.m. Boys’ 16s Semifinals: Brendan Evans (5), Key Biscayne, Fla., vs. Florian Mergea (6), Romania
followed by Boys’ 18s Quarterfinals: Alex Bogomolov, Miami, vs. Philippe Moukhometov, Russia
Court 2
9 a.m. Boys’ 16s Semifinals: Peter Steinberger, Germany, vs. Luis Flores, Mexico
Court 3
9 a.m. Girls’ 16s Semifinals: Megan Falcon, Alameda, Calif., vs. Whitney Deason (16), Houston
followed by Boys’ 18s Quarterfinals: Bruno Echagaray (6), Mexico, vs. Juan Monaco, Argentina
Court 6
9 a.m. Girls’ 16s Semifinals: Theresa Logar (7), Rochester Hills, Mich,. vs. Delia Sescioreanu (2), Romania
followed by Girls’ 18s Quarterfinals: Jelena Jankovic (6), Yugoslavia, vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova (2), Russia
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