 Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 19 Dec 2004 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 19 Dec 2004 |  Photographer: Eleanor Preston
Date: 19 Dec 2004 |  Photographer: Eleanor Preston
Date: 19 Dec 2004 |  Photographer: Eleanor Preston
Date: 19 Dec 2004 |  Photographer: Eleanor Preston
Date: 19 Dec 2004 |
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| 19 Dec 2004 - Key Biscayne, FL - Tim Curry | |
| Kudryavtseva Looks to Improve to 3-0 against Kirkland in Orange Bowl final |
Jessica Kirkland (USA) takes a 10-match winning streak into the final of the Orange Bowl International on Sunday. Her opponent, unseeded Alla Kudryavtseva, however, has a 2-0 record against Kirkland and looks to maintain Russia’s stronghold on the girls’ championships.
No. 3 seed Kirkland prevented the second all-Russian final here in four years with a straight sets win over unseeded Ekaterina Makarova in the semifinals.
Kudryavtseva rallied to beat No. 12 Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, in the other semifinal and also upset the Nos. 4, 6 and 15 seeds en route to her first final of the year.
“I’ve been working hard and had expectations for something this big when the year started,” said Kudryavtseva. “The Orange Bowl is the perfect time for it to happen. I would have liked it to have been an all-Russian final, but I like my chances anyway.”
Kudryavtseva’s most recent win over Kirkland came in the second round of the Wimbledon junior championships this summer. Since then, Kirkland has posted a 15-1 record on the ITF Junior Circuit and is currently on a 10-match winning streak after winning last week’s USTA International Winter Championships.
The only loss during that span was in the US Open girls’ singles final to Michaella Krajicek.
“She’s playing a lot better since we last met,” added Kudryavtseva. “I’ll have to move her around a lot and serve better than I did today.”
Russia has won the Orange Bowl Girls’ 18s title five times in the past decade since 14-year-old Anna Kournikova won the title in 1995. The last American champion here was Boca Raton’s Luanne Spadea, who won the event in 1989.
A Kirkland win would give the U.S. its first sweep of the Boys’ and Girls’ 18s titles at this event since 1974.
Two American seeded players, No. 5 Donald Young and No. 11 Timothy Neilly, will meet in the boys’ final immediately following the girls’ final. The United States ensured the tournament’s first all-American final since Ricky Brown defeated Jay Berger (a current USTA Coach) twenty years ago when four Americans advanced to the semifinals here for the first time since 1976.
Young held off a strong charge by unseeded Greg Ouellette in the semifinals 6-2, 7-6 (3) while Neilly turned back No. 6 Mykyta Kryvonos , 6-2, 6-2.
“It means a lot that one of us is going to win (and be the tournament’s first African-American champion),” said Young, who became the first African-American to win the Boys’ 16s title here last year. “It’s nice to be the first at something, but it all comes with winning. All of those things are extra.”
Young, 15, is also attempting to become the first reigning Orange Bowl 16s champion to win the 18s title since Jim Courier won both titles in 1986 and 1987.
In their only prior meeting against Neilly, who is two years older, Young won a first round match at the Casablanca Cup in Mexico last December.
Neilly, who is playing in his first single final this year, recently began working with Tarik Benhabiles, who coached Andy Roddick to the Orange Bowl 18s title in 1999.
“Tarik makes me believe in myself,” Neilly said. “The confidence I had in myself was gone. He has been helping me with my movement and telling me to use the forehand. He’ll tell me ‘if it’s a weapon, use it’.”
In the girls’ doubles final, Marina Erakovic (NZL) and Monica Niculescu (ROM) avenged a loss in last week’s final to Americans Vania King and Yasmin Schnack to win the tradition crystal bowl filled with Oranges. It was the third consecutive final for the team who also won the Eddie Herr International.
Erakovic also won four other doubles titles this season, including the US Open where she and Michaella Krajicek defeated Niculescu and Madalina Gojnea in the final. Niculecu won six other doubles titles (four with her sister Gabriela). Erakovic and Niculescu also reached the Wimbledon final.
Venezuela’s David Navarette and Piero Luisi captured the boys’ doubles title with a straight sets win over Abdullah Magdas (KUW) and Martin Pederson (DEN). It was the third ITF junior title for the team.
(CORRECTION: Larry Gottfried, the younger brother of Brian, was among the four Americans to reach the semifinals at the 1976 Orange Bowl, not Brian as originally reported.)
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