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 Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 11 Aug 2005 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 11 Aug 2005 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 11 Aug 2005 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 11 Aug 2005 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 11 Aug 2005 |  Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 11 Aug 2005 |
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| 11 Aug 2005 - Prostejov, Czech Republic - James Harrisson & Isabelle Gemmel | |
| World Junior Tennis Final 2005 - Round Up Day 4 |
The semi-finals were contested today at the TK Plus Club here in Prostejov. It was a mainly sunny day, with many spectators enjoying the amazing tennis played by the young athletes. The final in the boys’ event will be between France and Argentina, after they beat Australia and USA respectively. The girls’ final will be played between Russia, who knocked out Croatia, and Japan, who beat Slovenia.
France and Australia were fighting on Centre Court to determine the first finalist in the boys’ competition. In the first singles between Constantin Belot (FRA) and Jake Eames (AUS), the young Frenchman from the Loire region always seemed to be in control of the match. He impressed with his variable play, serving well and often finishing off the points at the net. He won in straight sets, 63 61. His compatriot Adrien Puget had a very nervous day. He knew that he had to produce his best tennis to beat Mark Verryth. But the tall Australian dominated the match with his big serve and his powerful game and was helped by a lot of unforced errors from Puget to win 64 75. Therefore, it was the doubles that was to decide the tie. Verryth and Jake Eames had not lost a doubles match in the tournament so far, but Constantin Belot and Adrien Puget played very consistently. The French pair won the doubles in two sets and advanced to their third final having won in 1993 and 1999.
In the final they will meet the unseeded team from Argentina that created the surprise of the day by beating number one seed USA. In an epic semi-final, Guido Andreozzi claimed the first rubber for Argentina. He won the first set against Devin Britton, 64. The second set went down to a tiebreak, after the boy from Buenos Aires had failed to win four match points, with the score at 65. Andreozzi saved 5 set points in the tiebreak, and won the match 14 points to 12 in the tiebreak, at the sixth time of asking. Chase Buchanan managed to turn around his match against Juan Vazquez after losing the first set 62. He fought his way into a tiebreak, which he won 75, at the end of the second set. The spectators witnessed another match full of suspense and tension, which the boy from Ohio won 63 in the third set. Juan Vazquez and Nicolas Pastor were the boys that captain Mario Bravo sent on court to play against Britton and Buchanan. The two boys from Buenos Aires won the first set 75, but the US boys clinched set number two by the score of 63. In the meantime, the French boys had already qualified for the final and were watching expectantly together with the crowd, to find out who they would play in the Final. The score reached 54 in the third set and Chase Buchanan was serving to stay in the match. He saved one match point at 15 40 with a good serve that Vazquez returned wide. But the second match point went to the Argentine team. Like France, they will be playing their third final after 1996 and 1993.
In the girls’ event, Slovenia, seeded five, went into the semi-final against Japan knowing they would need to be at the top of their game to have any hope of progressing into the last two. First on court was Slovenian Masa Grgan, who took on Chihiro Takayama. The Japanese girl’s raw power gave her the upper hand in the opening set, which she took 63. The second set saw almost every game go to deuce, and it was Grgan who broke first, taking the lead for the first time. Takayama, however, proved too much of a test for the young Slovenian, and won the next four games to win the set 64 and the match in straight sets. It was then up to Polona Hercog to try and get the Europeans back in the tie. She did not get off a good start, and Takayama quickly took the opening set 61. Unfortunately for Slovenia, the Japanese onslaught continued, as Takayama broke twice early on in the second set. Hercog was briefly able to delay the inevitable and win a couple of service games, but, when Takayama came out at 52 to serve for a place in the final, Hercog could put up no further resistance and slumped to a 61 62 defeat.
Hoping to join Japan in the final were top seed, Russia, and Croatia, seeded four. Russian Elena Kulikova was on first, facing Croatia’s Indire Akiki. Both girls have been in top form this week, and the standard of tennis was high. The first set saw some hard hitting rallies, but neither players was able to get a break advantage and, when Kulikova held serve for 65, Akiki had to come out and serve to stay in the set. The Russian had two set points, which she was unable to convert, and Akiki held serve to force the tiebreak. As if the memory of her missed chances was playing on her mind, Kulikova never really competed in the tiebreak, which she lost 72, after almost an hour of play. The Russian broke serve in the opening game of the second set, and then went another break before successfully serving for the set to level the match. Akiki twice went a break down in the third set, but dug deep to come back both times. At 5 games all, however, Kulikova broke yet again, and despite a valiant effort from the Akiki, held serve to win the match 67(2) 62 75 in two hours and twenty two minutes. Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova then took on Petra Martic. Croatian Martic took the opening set 63, with two breaks of serve, before Pavlyuchenkova significantly raised her game and got three consecutive breaks of serve to take the second set to love. Martic fought back briefly at the beginning of the deciding set, but was unable to halt the momentum against her and lost it 63, giving Russia a spot in the final. Russia completed the victory with a 67 62 75 win in the doubles. Croatia will play Slovenia in the third place play-off.
At the other end of the draw, Lorena Aviles and Gisella Pere of Ecuador beat Yasmine Alkema and Algerians Sena Bensafi 60 63 in the deciding doubles rubber. Algeria will now face Korea, who lost all three of their matches against Chile, in a play-off to see who will finish 16th and face losing a spot for their region in the 2006 World Junior Tennis finals.
For the rest of the day’s results and the line up for the final round of matches, please see the pdf files below.
Related Articles
> World Junior Tennis Finals Day 3
> World Junior Tennis Finals Day 2
> World Junior Tennis Finals Day 1
> World Junior Tennis Finals Preview
| The above documents are in Adobe Acrobat format. To view and print them you require the Acrobat Reader program installed on your computer. Click on the icon to download a free copy of the Reader. |  |
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