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| 28 Jan 2001 | |
| Top Seeds Shine at Australian Open |
By Kim Trengove
Top seeds Janko Tipsarevic and Jelena Jankovic ushered in a new era of Yugoslav domination in tennis today – at least as far as the juniors are concerned. Tipsarevic, 16, and Jankovic, 15, won their first junior Grand Slam titles – the Australian Open.
For Jankovic, her 6-2, 6-1 victory over Sofia Arvidsson was the easiest day’s work she had experienced since arriving in Melbourne just prior to the championships. She struggled in the early rounds in oppressive heat, but then cantered to the finishing line, committing a trifling eight unforced errors in the final to the Swede’s nerve-induced 31.
"I didn’t start so good," said Jankovic, ranked No.8 in the world and rising. "I was down 0-2 but I got more aggressive. I just concentrated and focused. I wanted to win the tournament so bad."
Tipsarevic’s fourth consecutive victory over Yeu-Tzuoo Wang from Taiwan was a more torrid affair. The 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 final lasted nearly two hours and for much of that time, Tipsarevic looked like he was going to take a tumble. "I played him four times before and he never took a set," said Tipsarevic, who also won the Australian Hardcourt Championships and is undefeated in 30 matches. "He has improved a lot from the baseline. I think he will succeed in tennis."
Wang, currently ranked 10 in the world and still only 15, shot to a 3-1 lead in the first set. Tipsarevic broke back but again dropped his serve. The second set was marked by long rallies as the two young guns fought over games that lasted up to 15 minutes. Taking more risks on his groundstrokes and net-play, Tipsarevic led 4-1, but Wang levelled at 5-5. Blowing a break point opportunity, Wang lost the set and with it, his spirits took a nosedive. "I made an early break in the third set and that finished him off," Tipsarevic said.
Both Yugoslavs were elated after their wins and planned to celebrate together in the evening. Their success is sure to be a further boon to aspiring young Yugoslavs. "Yugoslavia is a talented tennis country, but there are not the conditions for juniors to succeed," Tipsarevic said. "For sure, this was my biggest success in tennis. I have been playing good for the last four tournaments. I wanted to finish it winning the Grand Slam."
While the top singles players came through to win the their respective trophies, so to did top seeded girls’ pair, Petra Cetkovska and Barbora Strycova from the Czech Republic who defeated unseeded Anna Bastrikova and Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6, 1-6, 6-4. >www.ausopen.org
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