 Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 22 May 2004 |  Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 22 May 2004 |  Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 20 May 2004 |  Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 23 May 2004 |  Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 22 May 2004 |  Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 23 May 2004 |
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| 22 May 2004 - ITF - Neil Robinson | |
| Azarenka Defeats Krajicek in Semifinals |
Viktoria Azarenka, of Belarus, reached her first Grade A final at the expense of defending Italian Junior Open champion, Michaella Krajicek, of the Netherlands, today in Milan. Krajicek looked set to repeat her previous victory over Azarenka, which occurred in April 2003, as she breezed through the first set 6-1. Azarenka dug in, however, and fought back to record a 16 64 63 victory. The 14-year-old Belarusian will now bid for her second ITF Junior Circuit title in Sunday’s final against another fourteen-year-old, Bulgaria’s rising star, Sesil Karatancheva.
Karatancheva, seeded two, disposed of Ukrainian Katerina Bondarenko, 62 76, the same result as last week’s semifinal in Santa Croce, where the two players also met. Karatancheva has now guaranteed herself a spot in the top ten of the ITF Junior Rankings and will hope to go higher by winning tomorrow and adding to the five titles that she has already won on the ITF Junior Circuit.
The finalists met yesterday in the doubles' final and it was Azarenka, playing with fellow-Belarusian, Volha Havartsova who beat Karatancheva and New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic, reigning Orange Bowl and Casablanca Cup doubles’ champion, 26 62 63, for their second tournament victory in a row.
Sebastian Rieschick, the boys’ second seed lost the first set on a tiebreak but ran out an impressive 67 61 62 winner against third seed, Brendan Evans, of USA to reach his first Grade A final. The German, currently ranked three in the world takes on Argentina’s Juan-Martin Del Potro, who defeated Ukrainian Sergei Bubka, 63 64. Del Potro, at 15, one of the youngest players in the boys’ singles, is also appearing in his first Grade A final and his success so far has earned him a top 20 ranking.
Evans gained some consolation in the doubles, where, in partnership with 2003 Junior Doubles World Champion, Scott Oudsema, the American pair defeated India’s Karan Rastogi and Chu-Huan Yi, of Chinese Taipei, 62 64, to add to the Australian junior title that they won in January.
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