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| 05 Jul 2001 | |
| Yeu-Tzuoo Wang reaches second Grand Slam semi-final this year |
By Eleanor Preston
Yeu-Tzuoo Wang became one of the fantastic four when he secured his place in the semi finals of the Wimbledon Boys’ competition. Yeu-Tzuoo marched into the last four with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Australia’s Todd Reid.
"It’s a good win because Todd is my good friend and I practice with him a lot," explained Yeu-Tzuoo In the first set I was 2-0 down but I kept coming back. In the second set I had lots of break points but I didn’t make them, so I just had to keep holding my serve and hang on."
Yeu-Tzuoo, who is coached by his dad Kuo-Ken, is having a great year on the junior circuit and reached the final of the Australian Open in January. He is thriving on the quick grass courts of Wimbledon. "I just like fast courts and I like the colour green," he said.
Yeu-Tzuoo says he has learned a lot from getting to his first Grand Slam final in Melbourne and feels he is ready to go one step further at Wimbledon. "In Australia I was a novice and I made a final. If I win a Grand Slam I will be the first person from Taipei to win something big. I have a chance and I hope I can win this tournament."
He will play Roman Valent. The Swiss, who is seeded tenth at Wimbledon, beat Frank Dancevic 7-6, 6-2. Gilles Muller and Philipp Petzschner will play the other Boys’ semi final after Muller knocked out Giovanni Lapentti 7-6, 7-6 and Petzschner ended hopes of a British champion with a Ken Skupski 6-2, 7-6.
British hopes of a Girls’ champion are still very much alive though after Brits Elena Baltacha pulled out a gutsy 7-5, 6-7, 9-7 win over Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Keothavong put in an equally hard fought victory over Anna Bastrikova.
Baltacha twice came from a break down to secure her first place in a junior Grand Slam semi. Baltacha who is based in Perthshire in Scotland, has another tough match in the last four. She is up against Angelique Widjaja, who came through her quarter final against Barbora Strycova 6-1, 6-4.
Keothavong won her battle of the Annes, pulling off a thrilling comeback against her namesake Bastrikova 3-6, 7-6, 7-5. Keothavong faces Dinara Safina for a place in the final. Safina was too strong for Daniella Casanova, beating the Swiss girl 6-3, 7-5.
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