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Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

Nikola Mektic (CRO)

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

Jaak Poldma (EST)

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

Chelsey Gullickson (USA)

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

Tim Neilly (USA)

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2005

04 Sep 2005 - Flushing Meadows - Eleanor Preston

Battling Kuznetsov Brings Fight to US Open juniors

Few watching American junior Alex Kuznetsov fighting his way to a 67 64 63 victory over Croatia’s Nicola Mektic in the first round of the US Open juniors on Sunday will have had any clue that the 18-year-old from Pennsylvania had already won a battle just by making it onto the court.

Kuznetsov was driving his friend Phillip Symmonds’ car back from a Futures event in Tampa, Florida when he took a corner too fast and smashed into a tree. He spent weeks in hospital with a broken leg but thanks to three hours of rehabilitation a day, the teenager has recovered enough to play his home grand slam.

“I’m so happy just to be out there competing at all,” said Kuznetsov, who had pins inserted in his leg after being diagnosed with a broken femur. “When I first had the accident the doctors told me I wasn’t going to be able to play for six months so it’s amazing just to be here considering how bad it was. I was fully conscious when I hit the tree. I didn't even feel any pain until I looked down at my leg. It was bent the wrong way."

Kuznetsov, who was born in the Ukraine, received a wildcard into the men’s doubles with fellow American Scott Oudsema and won a match but his main focus during the months of rehab was the junior tournament, where he is seeded five.

Kuznetsov’s best junior grand slam result is a run to the final of Roland Garros last year but he would dearly love to make his mark at Flushing Meadows and complete what would be a remarkable comeback story.

“When Scott and I walked out in the doubles I realised it was the first time in my life that I was playing completely without pressure and it’s the same in the juniors,” said Kuznetsova. “I’m just going out there to play and to have fun and get some matches. I’m playing very freely.”

Kuznetsov was joined in the second round by his compatriot, the reigning Orange Bowl champion Timothy Neilly, who beat Jaak Poldma of Estonia 75 76.

While Australian Open boys’ champion Donald Young rested on Sunday, the year’s other two grand slam winners, Roland Garros champion Marin Cilic and Wimbledon victor Jeremy Chardy, both scored one-sided wins. Chardy, of France, beat Panama’s Alberto Gonzalez 61 63 while Cilic wasted little time in disposing of American Michael McClune 62 62.

“It was as easy as it looked and I’m very relieved it was because the first round of any tournament is always difficult,” said Cilic, who has been working hard at his home base in Croatia to get his body into shape for the rigours of the American hard-courts.

“It gets very hot here and the courts are very hard,” he said. “It can make it very hard for your feet and for your knees. I needed to prepare my body for the test.”

Day one of the girls’ competition saw wins for Poland’s Wimbledon champion Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat America’s Megan Alexander 61 60 and seventh seed Alexa Glatch, who pleased her home crowd with a 63 61 win over Australia’s Olivia Lukaszewicz.

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