 Photographer: Daniel Maurer
Date: 07 Aug 2004 |  Photographer: Daniel Maurer
Date: 07 Aug 2004 |  Photographer: Daniel Maurer
Date: 07 Aug 2004 |  Photographer: Daniel Maurer
Date: 07 Aug 2004 |  Photographer: Francisco Llorente
Date: 08 Aug 2004 |  Photographer: Daniel Maurer
Date: 07 Aug 2004 |
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| 07 Aug 2004 - TK Prostejov, Czech Republic - Neil Robinson | |
| Belarus and Great Britain Win At 2004 World Junior Tennis Final |
Great Britain defeated the Czech Republic 2-0 to lift the boys' trophy, Belarus overcame Austria 2-1 to take the girls' title on the final day in Prostejov, Czech Republic.
Lewis Barnes and Daniel Cox gave Britain their second World Junior Tennis title by winning both singles rubbers. The Belarusian pair of Ima Bogush and Ksenia Milevskaya easily won the doubles rubber to take their country's first World Junior Tennis title.
In the boy's final, Cox completed his fifth singles win out of five by beating Czech No.1 Emanuel Rehola 75 76(1) after British No.2, Lewis Barnes had silenced the home crowd with a 63 75 victory over the previously unbeaten Jan Trocil, of the Czech Republic.
With the Czech team fighting to stay in the tie, Rehola made a great start, breaking in the fourth game, and maintained that advantage until he served for the set at 5-3, only to see Cox sweep through the next four games to take the set 7-5. A similar pattern unfolded in the second, Rehola getting out to 3-0 before Cox evened things up at 3-3.
It became increasingly difficult for both players to hold serve and the next six games all went against serve, with Cox having two opportunities to serve for the match. Rehola fought bravely, spurred on by the Czech supporters, saving one match point, to take the set into a tiebreak. Cox was not to be denied his, and his country's, moment of glory, however, and dominated the tiebreak for the loss of just one point.
Cox fell back onto the clay in jubilation as his father and teammates vaulted over to join in the on-court celebrations with British captain, Leighton Alfred.
In the first rubber, Lewis Barnes seized the initiative in the sixth game of the first set when he became the first player to hold serve, and then broke again in the ninth game. Despite fervent support from the spectators, Trocil could not get ahead and Barnes matched him throughout the second set until breaking to lead 5-3. A brief rally from Trocil restored parity at 5-5 but in the twelfth game, Barnes clinched the set and the match.
Belarus stormed back after losing the opening singles' rubber to claim the girls' title. Ima Bogush and Ksenia Milevskaya put on a commanding display and outclassed Nikola Hofmanova and Melanie Klaffner 60 61 in the doubles rubber 60 61 to secure victory. Milevskaya had earlier made it five singles victories out of five when she overcame Austrian No.1 Nikola Hofmanova to level the girls' final after Melanie Klaffner had fought back from a break down in both sets to defeat Ima Bohush 76(1) 75 and put Austria 1-0 ahead.
Milevskaya took control with a dominant display in the first set and then survived a late fightback by her opponent to force the deciding rubber. The Belarusian was quickly 4-0 up and then broke again to take the first set 6-1. Hofmanova recovered an early break of serve in the second match to get back to 3-3 but dropped her serve to trail 5-3. Spurred on by the vocal Austrian supporters that have been present all week, she came back to 5-5, saving three match points in the process. Milevskaya, however, held and then broke to love to claim the rubber.
In the first rubber, Bohush sprang out to a 3-0 lead but was pegged back to 3-3, before breaking again to lead 5-3. Klaffner broke twice to lead 6-5 30-0 but Bohush put together four winning points to force a tiebreak. The Austrian played a controlled tiebreak to take the first set and immediately went 0-2 in the second. She broke back and the set stayed with serve until 4-4, when Bohush broke to serve for the second set. Klaffner stormed back from behind again, winning the next twelve points to take the first point for Austria.
In the remaining play-off ties, Slovak Republic claimed both singles to defeat neighbours Czech Republic to join Austria and Belarus on the podium in third place, while Italy quickly disposed of Tunisia in the battle for 15th place in the girls' competition, which means that Africa will have one place less in the final in 2005. Argentina finished thirteenth, courtesy of their victory over Korea.
In the boys' play-off ties, Thailand secured their best-ever placing in the history of the cometition by taking both singles' matches against Italy in the 3rd and 4th place play-off. Brazil defeated Mexico to claim 13th, and Africa will also lose a representative in next year's boys' final after Venezuela won the doubles against Egypt to notch 15th place.
Full results, drawsheets and final positions can be viewed on the attached pdfs.
Related Articles
> Players Party Is A Huge Success
> Defending Champions Czech Out Of Girls Event
> Great Britain Stuns France To Reach Last Four
> Surprises Continue At World Junior Tennis Final
> Czechs Spring Surprise On Opening Day
> Draw Ceremony Takes Place For 2004 World Junior Tennis Final
> Prostejov Promises Exciting Week
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