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| 15 May 2003 | |
| Top players head for Milan |
A host of the world’s leading juniors will descend on Milan
next week where the 44th Trofeo Bonfiglio Italian Junior
International Championships will take place on the red clay courts of the
Tennis Club Milano ‘Alberto Bonacossa’. The Grade A event, which gets underway
on Monday 19th May marks the highlight of the European season so far
and has attracted a quality field.
The girls’ singles will see two leading juniors return to
the circuit after ‘dipping their toes’ in the professional waters on the ITF Women’s
Circuit and WTA Tour. Reigning Wimbledon junior champion and world No.1 Vera
Douchevina, of Russia, heads the field and will be looking to improve on her
quarterfinal showing last year. She will be competing on the junior circuit for
the first time since she won the Orange Bowl in December. Slovakia’s Jarmila
Gajdosova plays for the first time
since the Australian Open and will be looking for her first Grade A title after
reaching the US Open semifinal last year.
They will have to overcome stiff opposition from a couple of
young players who, in their absence, have leapt into the spotlight. Michaela
Krajicek, 2003 Yucatan Cup and Coffee Bowl champion, from the Netherlands, and
2003 Australian Open finalist, Viktoria Kutuzova, of the Ukraine, both aged 14,
will be hoping to upset their older rivals. Krajicek has already tasted success
on European clay this year with a victory in the Grade 2 event in
Salsomaggiore, Italy. Another in-form player to look out for is Katerina
Bohmova of the Czech Republic, who has just climbed into the top 10 having been
champion at the Grade 2 Slovakia Cup and runner-up at the Grade 1 event in
Umag, Croatia.
The big question in the boys’ singles is can Spain’s Daniel
Gimeno-Traver continue his unbeaten run and secure his first Grade A title?
After three back-to-back Grade 2 victories in France and Italy in the last
month, he has now won his last 27 matches on the ITF junior circuit; but can he
make the step up? David Brewer (GBR) has already shown that he can perform on the
big stage, winning the Grade A Banana Bowl earlier this year and will provide
tough opposition. Fellow Brit Andrew Murray who added last week’s Grade 2 event
in Prato to his Grade 1 victory in Colombia is also in form and must be a
lively contender.
Nicolas Almagro, who led the Spanish team in the 2001 World
Youth Cup, playing alongside Gimeno-Traver, returns to junior competition after
three Futures victories on the ITF Men’s Circuit and will also hope to make his
mark. Stanislav Wawrinka, from Switzerland, who has also been competing
successfully on the ITF Men’s circuit, will hope for a successful return to
junior competition after nearly a 12-month absence. Last year’s
quarterfinalist, Michael Zverev, of Germany, who is just 15 and already a Grade
1 winner in Malaysia is another that warrants serious consideration.
A further four boys and seven girls who are currently ranked
in the top 20 are also due to compete and will aim to make their presence felt
in Milan and upset the favourites. Some of the most dangerous threats, however,
could come from Roman Kutac (SVK) and Agnes Szavay (HUN) who took their first
grade 1 titles in Umag in April and last week’s winner in Prato, Sanya Ancic
(CRO) who will all be keen to build on their recent successes. Italy’s Fabio
Fognini will also be keen to do well in front of his home crowd.
A number of players who have already landed big prizes or
who are just starting to break through at the highest level will battle it out
in a week, which promises to be one of the most exciting so far on the 2003 ITF
Junior Circuit.
You can follow all the action on itfjuniors.com with daily
reports and photos from Milan throughout next week
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