 Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 18 Dec 2003 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 18 Dec 2003 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 22 Dec 2003 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 30 Dec 2003 | | |
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| 18 Dec 2003 - Crandon Park, Florida, USA - Tim Curry | |
| American Wild Card Uberoi Ends Krajicek’s Bid For World No. 1 |
Key Biscayne, Fla. – Neha Uberoi ended Michealla Krajicek’s bid for the world No. 1 junior ranking with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win in the second round of the Orange Bowl International Championships at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park on Wednesday.
The seventeen-year-old Florida resident handled the pressure situations and winds of up to 15 mph to knock off the tournament’s top seeded player.
“The wind was tough, but something each of us had to handle,” said Uberoi. “I actually used the wind to my advantage. It helped me hit some angles on both sides.”
With the possibility of an upset in the works, a crowd formed at the start of the third set with friends and family constantly yelling to both players. After three consecutive breaks of service midway through the set, Uberoi held for a 4-2 lead. In the next game, Krajicek double faulted on game point to give Uberoi a 5-2 advantage.
“Once I held serve, I was feeling confident,” said Uberoi. “I knew she had broken down mentally. I thought I had this girl in the bag if I could make my shots.”
Krajicek could have dethroned Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium atop the ITF World Junior Rankings if she won the title here. At 14 years and 11 months, Krajicek, half-sister of former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek, would have been the youngest ITF Junior World Singles Champion since 1995 when Anna Kournikova took the title at 14 years, 5 months. Martina Hingis became the youngest player to accomplish the feat in 1994 at the age of 14 years, 2 months.
Currently ranked No. 447 on the WTA Tour, Uberoi is playing just her second junior tournament of the year and needed a wild card from the USTA to make the main draw.
“I don’t know much about these girls since I don’t play a lot of junior events,” said Uberoi. “I didn’t know the hype around her (Krajicek) until all these girls that I didn’t know kept wishing me luck this morning. Then I found out that I was playing the No. 1 seed. It feels good to beat the No. 2 junior in the world. She’s strong. Beating her was an achievement.”
Uberoi took a leave of absence from Princeton University after completing her freshman year this spring and turned professional in October. A month earlier, Uberoi won two qualifying matches and upset No. 109 Maureen Drake en route to the semifinals of the USTA Pro Circuit Women’s $25,000 Challenger in Raleigh, N.C., while ranked No. 756 in the world.
“I came out here knowing I had a chance to win the tournament,” said Uberoi, who has been working with Rick Macci since last month. “I’m relaxed at the junior tournaments since I’ve been playing at higher level already.”
There were no upsets in the boys’ draw as all seven seeded players in action advanced Wednesday including No. 9 Alex Kuznetsov of Richboro, Pa., and No. 10 Scott Oudsema of Kalamazoo, Mich.
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