 Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 26 Jan 2005 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 26 Jan 2005 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 26 Jan 2005 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 26 Jan 2005 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 26 Jan 2005 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 26 Jan 2005 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 26 Jan 2005 |
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| 26 Jan 2005 | |
| Azarenka prepares for Kleybanova clash |
Amid the girls’ third round match-ups at the Australian Open there is one contest which, in a less prestigious event, would be worthy of a final - top seed Viktoria Azarenka’s tussle with Alisa Kleybanova.
Both players have plenty of pedigree in the juniors and while Kleybanova is seeded relatively low (13) she is considered by many insiders and one of the picks for the girls’ title.
“It’s never easy for a Belarussian to take on a Russian, especially in such a big match,” said Azarenka. “We’ve played doubles together, we’ve played lots of times and I know her game. It’s going to be very, very tough.”
Azarenka, who beat Australian wildcard Olivia Lukasczewicz in the second round, said she is feeling confident going into the match thanks to the hard work she has been putting in since moving to Spain in October, where she has been working with her coach Christian Straka.
“I like it there but it’s really hard work,” she said. “There are a lot of clay courts there but my coach and I have really been working on the hardcourts to get ready for here. It’s paying off now. I’m feeling pretty good about my game and I think it’s improved a lot, especially since my last junior grand slam at the US Open.”
Azarenka, 15, is currently No.3 in the ITF junior world rankings and thus amongst the favourites for the Australian Open title, but, on Straka’s advice, she isn’t getting too carried away with herself.
“I’ve never been top seed at a grand slam before so I don’t really know what it’s like or what it means to other people,” she said. “I don’t think it puts more pressure on me because my coach always says that all I have to do is my best. I think that’s the right attitude to have. I could win my next match or I could lose it – the seeding doesn’t change that.”
With temperatures in Melbourne set to stay in the low 30s, Azarenka and Kleybanova can expect tough conditions for Thursday’s match but the Belarussian says she is taking precautions to protect herself from the punishing heat.
”I never go in the sun when I’m not playing and I always try to stay where the air conditioning is,” she said. “It’s a shame because I’d like to watch some tennis sometimes but I’m not allowed to!”
Had Azarenka ventured outside to watch the rest of the girls’ draw in action she would have had plenty to see, not least fourth seed Olga Savchuk of the Ukraine, who whipped past Australia’s Karolina Wlodarczak 6-1, 6-3. Second seed Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland also had a one-sided win over a local when she beat Tyra Calderwood 6-0, 6-1.
In the boys event marathon man Ryan Sweeting of the Bahamas pulled off an extraordinary win over Melbourne-born Andrew Coelho, eventually beating the Australian 7-5, 4-6, 14-12. The Melbourne heat was not the only problem Sweeting had to deal with.
“The flies were driving me crazy too, I was so hot and tired and they just wouldn’t leave me alone, but I just tried to focus and it worked in the end.”
Third seed Lukas Lacko of Slovakia was a straight sets winner over Michael Johnson of the USA and Sergei Bubka of the Ukraine, whose father is the pole vaulting legend of the same name, also justified his sixth seeding in the competition by getting past Jurica Grubisic of Croatia 7-5, 6-0.
Second seed Donald Young of the USA had to fight tooth and nail to earn his third round spot after Australia’s Patrick Nichols pushed him to three sets. Young, who could grab the World No.1 ranking if he wins the tournament, came through 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.
Not all the seeds made it through though. Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands, seeded 13th, and ninth seed Jeremy Chardy of France are both out, beaten by Michael Shabaz (USA) and Marin Cilic (CRO) respectively. Chardy’s defeat came after he twisted his ankle, an injury which meant that he was forced to pull out of the doubles, in which he was seeded No.2 with Sergei Bubka.
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