 Photographer: Eleanor Preston
Date: 17 Dec 2004 |  Photographer: Hiromasa Mano
Date: 19 Oct 2004 |  Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 23 May 2004 | | | |
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| 13 May 2005 - Helen McFetridge | |
| Italian Open Preview |
All eyes will be on Italy next week as some of the world’s top juniors converge in Milan for the 46th Trofeo Bonfiglio “Campeonati Internazionali d’Italia”. The Italian Open is the last Grade A event before the players head to Roland Garros, and all of them will be hoping to get themselves into peak form in time for the second Grand Slam of the year.
Top seed in the boys’ event will be world No. 1 Donald Young of the USA, who returns to the ITF Junior Circuit after taking his first steps onto the ATP Tour. Young, winner of the Australian Open in January, has been one of the biggest talking points in tennis this year, but he has never played the Italian Open and the other players will be hoping to take advantage of his lack of experience on red clay. Chief among the challengers will be world No. 3 Leonardo Mayer (ARG) and No. 5 Sergei Bubka (UKR). Mayer is as comfortable on clay as one would expect from an Argentine – he has won 32 of his last 34 matches on the surface in a run that has seen him win four clay-court titles this year, including the Grade A Banana Bowl and Grade 1 Asuncion Bowl. Young will certainly have to be on top form to get past the Rafael Nadal of the junior circuit. Although Bubka prefers hard courts, he also knows how to play on clay, having been a semifinalist in Milan last year. He will be hoping to do even better this time around.
Other players hoping to stake their claim among the favourites for Roland Garros are Brazilian Andre Miele, three times a finalist on clay this year, and Belgian Niels Desein, winner of the Grade 1 International Junior Championships of Croatia on clay in March.
Local favourite Andrea Arnaboldi has won three of his last four tournaments, including the Grade 2 clay court events in Florence and Prato, so his higher ranked opponents will be wary of him. Arnaboldi will be hoping to maintain his 100% record in Italy this year.
On the girls’ side, the tournament was hit by the late withdrawal of world No. 8 Alexa Glatch (USA), leaving Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova as the top seed. Cibulkova has yet to win a tournament on the ITF Junior Circuit, despite having been top seed at her last three events. The world No. 9 will be hoping to break her duck in Milan. Her nearest challenger should be Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, ranked one place below her. 14-year-old Wozniacki has already won several ITF Junior tournaments, including the Grade A Osaka Mayor’s Cup in October, where she beat Cibulkova in the final, and the Grade 1 Japan Open Junior Championships last month. Wozniacki’s only weakness could be her lack of competitive experience on the surface – she lost her first ITF Junior Circuit match on clay in Santa Croce this week, despite being the tournament’s top seed. Wozniacki has recently played Fed Cup for Denmark on clay, but in Milan she will come up against several players with much more experience than her on the surface.
Fifth seed Sharon Fichman (CAN) will fancy her chances, as she lists clay as her favourite surface and won the Grade A Banana Bowl in March. Fourth seed Nikola Frankova (CZE) also has considerable clay court experience and several titles to her name, including the Grade 1 Asuncion Bowl in March. Frankova, like Cibulkova, is returning to the ITF Junior Circuit after spending the last few weeks playing ITF Women’s Circuit events on clay.
Another player hoping her recent Women’s Circuit experience will stand her in good stead in Milan is local player Giulia Gabba, the world no. 25. Gabba will be looking to recapture the form which saw her win the Grade 1 Copa Aero Republica in Colombia in January.
Daily reports and photographs will be available on the website throughout the week.
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