 Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 30 May 2006 |  Photographer: Ron Angle
Date: 29 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2005 |  Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 25 May 2006 |  Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 25 May 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 02 Jul 2005 |  Photographer: Marcelo Ruschel
Date: 14 Mar 2006 |
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| 01 Jun 2006 - ITF - Faye Andrews | |
| Juniors ready to take the spotlight at Roland Garros |
The second week of Roland Garros sees the juniors take to the courts for their moment in the spotlight. As the second Junior Grand Slam of the year kicks off there will be many players hoping to make a name for themselves on the Parisian clay.
The boys’ draw is wide open and the French players will be out in force to try to bring the junior boys’ title back home. French boys have traditionally performed well at their home Grand Slam with Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet winners in recent years. This year Alexandre Sidorenko and Jonathan Eysseric will be leading the hunt, Sidorenko won the Australian Open boys’ title this year and also qualified for the Main Draw in Roland Garros, whilst Jonathan Eysseric triumphed at the most recent Grade A, the Italian Junior Open in Milan.
Players determined not the let the French have things all their own way will include 2005 ITF Junior World Champion Donald Young, making a welcome return to the ITF Junior Circuit. Young has been concentrating mostly on the pro circuit in 2006 but did win the Easter Bowl, the only junior event he has played this year. Thiemo de Bakker from the Netherlands, currently ranked No.2 and winner of the first Grade A of the year, the Casablanca Cup will also be in the hunt, he has shown good form on clay, taking the title at a Grade 1 tournament in Italy recently.
Luka Belic and Antonio Veic from Croatia will be trying to follow in compatriot Marin Cilic’s footsteps, 2005 Roland Garros boys’ champion, to take the title this year. Belic will also be looking for some revenge after narrowly losing out to Eysseric in the Italian Open semifinal 9-7 in the third set.
It would not be Roland Garros without a strong threat from the Spanish and the challenge this year will come in the shape of Albert Ramos and Javier Garrapiz. Ramos has already proved himself on the junior circuit, winning the Grade A Banana Bowl in Brazil in March, whilst Garrapiz made a name for himself in the junior tennis world as a member of the winning Junior Davis Cup team in 2004.
The boys’ draw may be open but the girls’ draw has an overwhelming favourite, who comes, not surprisingly from Russia. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is the girl to beat on the ITF Junior Circuit at present, already the Australian Open champion; she has only lost two matches on the circuit this year.
One of those losses came last week in Milan at the hands of Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea, part of the very strong Romanian contingent in the girls’ draw. For the last two years a Romanian girl has finished runner up at Roland Garros, last years runner up Raluca-Ioana Olaru will return for another tilt at the title and has proved that she is in perfect form by winning the Grade A Italian Open, defeating Cirstea in the final. Alexandra Dulgheru and Mihaela Buzarnesco complete the Romanian challenge.
Three of last year’s semifinalists return for another try, along with Olaru, Alisa Kleybanova from Russia and Japan’s Ayumi Morita will be attempting to make it one stop further this year. Both have been concentrating on the pro circuit recently and have achieved success in the past month, Kleybanova won a $25,000 event in Italy while Morita finished runner-up in a $50,000 event in Japan.
Pavlyuchenkova will not be the only junior Grand Slam champion in the draw, Wimbledon and Junior Fed Cup champion Agnieszka Radwanska from Poland will be looking for a second Grand Slam title, along with Timea Bacsinszky from Switzerland and Yung-Jan Chan from Chinese-Taipei who are in the main draw courtesy of their high WTA rankings, 192 and 182 respectively.
The French boys’ will not be the only home players with their eyes on a trophy, Alizé Cornet and Yulia Fedossova will lead a strong challenge from the French girls. Both have played in the Main Draw so will be accustomed to the courts and atmosphere at Roland Garros.
Reports and photos will be posted daily.
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