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| 03 Jul 2003 | |
| Flipkens flips over Ivanovic to set up Rao showdown |
Flipkens flips over Ivanovic to set up Rao showdown
By Eleanor Preston
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) admits that her hot streak of form at Wimbledon this week has surprised even her. The 17-year-old is an accomplished doubles player and has an enviable serve but until she played her first match in last week’s Wimbledon warm up tournament in Roehampton, she had never set foot on a grass court. Yet she seems to have taken to the lawns of SW19 as though she was born to play on them. Thursday saw her battle past Ana Ivanovic beating the Yugoslavian 2-6 6-3 6-2 in a match played over two days. The win earned Flipkens a place in the quarter-finals and suggested she can go even further even though she has a tough task in the last eight in the shape of No.1 seed Sunitha Rao (USA), who beat Eden Marama (NZL) 6-4 7-6.
“People had been saying to me for weeks that I would play good on grass but I had never played on it before last week. Then suddenly I got to the final in Roehampton and I’m playing well here, so I guess they were right,” said Flipkens, laughing. “Doing well at Roehampton gave me a lot of confidence and I realised that I could use my slice and my serve a lot. I needed that today because Ivanovic has really good returns.”
Flipkens says she doesn’t want to get ahead of herself though. The happy-go-lucky teenager is far too sensible for that. “The most important thing is to take confidence from playing well but not to get too satisfied or think that I don’t need to work,” she said.
Flipkens’ win came despite yet more showers which detained her and Ivanovic overnight and she admitted that experience helped her get through. “I have been through that before during a tournament in Croatia, when we were stopped overnight. I was so nervous all evening that by the time I came to the court the next day I was too tired to play. I knew not to make that mistake again. Last night I slept really well even though it was on my mind and I was focussed from the moment I woke up.”
Flipkens amused herself during the rain delay by chatting and playing cards with her friend and doubles partner Kristina Czafikova, but admitted that rain delays can be dull for everyone. “They are so boring,” she said, “but at least we can talk and joke around.”
She and Czafikova have never played together before and, since this is Czafikova’s last junior tournament, they will not join forces again until both have fully turned professional.
“This is the first and last time but it’s been great, even though we have had to wait around because of the rain,” said Flipkens. “We’re both the boss in the team but most of all we have fun. I think you learn more when you are enjoying yourself.”
In other results, Jarmila Gajdosova (SVK) beat Katerina Bondarenko (UKR) 6-1 6-4 and Tatiana Golovin (FRA), Ally Baker (USA) and Emma Laine (FIN) all scored wins. The biggest shock of the day came very late in the evening, in a match which finally ended at 20.50 Michaella Krajicek, seeded three, fell to Russian Anna Tchakvetadze in a marathon three set match 16 64 86.
In the boys’ competition, second seed Brian Baker continued his strong run on grass with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Jesse Huta-Galung of the Netherlands. Australia’s Chris Guccione of Australia ended Sebastien Rieschick’s (GER) run and now takes on Baker. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) will play Luis Flores (MEX) play in the last eight and Florin Mergea (ROM) and top seed Tomas Berdych (CZE), while Horia Tecau (ROM) plays America’s Brendan Evans, who demolished Portugal’s Federico Gil 6-1 6-2.
Photos by Susan Mullane
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