 Photographer: Ron Angle
Date: 27 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Ron Angle
Date: 26 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Ron Angle
Date: 26 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Ron Angle
Date: 27 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Ron Angle
Date: 27 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Ron Angle
Date: 27 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Ron Angle
Date: 26 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Ron Angle
Date: 27 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Ron Angle
Date: 27 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Ron Angle
Date: 25 Jan 2006 |
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| 27 Jan 2006 - Melbourne Park - Eleanor Preston | |
| Pavlyuchenkova Powers Into Semis |
On a day when thundery showers pushed play onto Melbourne Park’s indoor courts, Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova stormed into her first junior grand slam semifinal on Friday thanks to a 64 63 win over third seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovak Republic at the Australian Open.
The tournament marks only Pavlyuchenkova’s third grand slam tournament and her run to the last four marks a huge step up in achievement for the 14-year-old Russian, who bombed out of last year’s junior Roland Garros and junior US Open in the opening round. She admitted that, while she was thrown at first when organizers were forced to move play out of the rain and onto the indoor courts, the move worked to her advantage.
“We had a long time to wait for the matches because of the rain but she was in the same situation – she was waiting too. At first I was a bit nervous because it’s a different atmosphere and a little bit of a different surface and it took me some time to feel the ball but then when I became calm again it was okay. I concentrated on every point and didn’t care what was around me. Inside there is no wind and every ball is quicker. Maybe it helps me because she is a bit smaller than me and I play faster and stronger, which is better indoors. I played well today.”
Pavlyuchenkova will take on second seed Raluca-Ioana Olaru of Romania in the semifinals after the Romanian beat Sharon Fichman of Canada 64 76. “It’s a wonder to be in the semifinals because I never got this far before,” said Pavlyuchenkova. “I won two tournaments before this Australian Open and I trained just to prepare for here but I told myself before the tournament that I just should play well and find my best game. I didn’t think about results so much and maybe that’s why I’ve played so well and why I believe in myself. I’m really happy.”
In the other girls’ semifinal, Ayumi Morita of Japan will play top seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. Morita beat Amina Rakhim of Kazakhstan in an all-Asian quarterfinal, while Wozniacki outlasted Austria’s Tamira Paszek 36 61 63.
In the boys’ tournament Alexandre Sidorenko moved through to his first junior grand slam semifinal, courtesy of a well-timed rain delay. Sidorenko, from France, was 2-5 down against Japan’s Kei Nishikori when the heavens opened. When play resumed, indoors, it was Sidorenko who seized the initiative, eventually winning 46 63 62.
“It wasn’t my day and then the rain helped me. I wasn’t in the match. During the break I spoke to my coach and he just told me to start moving because then my game would come and he was right - I started playing much better,” said Sidorenko. “Yesterday I had a day off and went to the zoo because I’ve never been to Australia before and I wanted to see koalas and kangaroos because you can’t see them in France. I think maybe I had too much time away from tennis and I lost my rhythm.”
Sidorenko admitted that it wasn’t the first time he had benefited from a rain delay – he fought from 1-5 down in the final set on the only previous occasion where the weather had intervened. “I'm very lucky with rain delays, every time I get one I am losing and I go and win the match,” he said. “I think I would do well at Wimbledon – it’s my tournament!”
Sidorenko plays 17-year-old Pavel Chekhov in the semis after the Russian scored a late-night 76 26 61 win over Jaak Poldma of Estonia.
Australia is guaranteed a home finalist in the boys’ competition after Nick Lindahl and Ryan Bellamy both reached the semifinals. Lindahl, who, like Bellamy, is unseeded, beat New Zealander Austen Childs 76 62. Bellamy beat 13th seeded Croatian Luka Belic 64 62.
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