Return to the ITF homepage
Jump to more ITF websites
Return to the Juniors homepage
Home Page
Latest News
Search Articles
Audio Listing
Photo Galleries
News Feed ? | Subscribe to the ITF Tennis news feed
Thiemo de Bakker (NED)
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Phillip Bester (CAN)
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Petru-Alexandru Luncanu (ROM)
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Martin Klizan (SVK)
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Katerina Vankova (CZE)
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Yung-Jan Chan (TPE)
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 08 Jun 2006
08 Jun 2006 - Roland Garros, Paris - Eleanor Preston
De Bakker keeps eyes on the prize in Paris
Being top seed at a junior grand slam is a serious business and Holland’s Thiemo DeBakker isn’t messing around. DeBakker, who plays Canada’s Philip Bester in the Roland Garros semi-finals on Friday, has been in Paris a week but has been so busy winning matches that he hasn’t even been to the centre of town to explore one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

“I think it’s better to be about business,” said the 17-year-old from The Hague. “Maybe if you have a day off then you can go and explore but I am here to play tennis. I am not here for sightseeing in Paris. It’s my job. I worked hard a lot for this when I was young and I am still working now. It has already been a job for a long time and it’s my job now.”

DeBakker did his job well on Thursday, beating Andrei Martin of Slovakia 6-4, 6-0 in a one-sided quarter-final. Bester, his semi-final opponent, beat Switzerland’s Robin Roshardt 7-6, 7-5.

“I felt good today,” said DeBakker. “It was tough to play against him because he played very directly and with very clean shots. Especially in the beginning and in the first set I had a lot of trouble and he returned very well. I was happy to win the first set because I broke him two times and I was on a roll.

“I’m playing well, I feel fit so I’m pretty comfortable now,” he continued. “I played in Sante Croce and Milan and had a week of practice in Holland before I drove over here, so I feel like I prepared well. Last week I was playing well in practice. I have played on clay since I was born because that’s what we play on at home in the summer, so I’m used to moving and hitting on it and that makes a difference too. A lot of guys, especially from America, they have trouble sliding on clay but not me.”

When asked what his goals were, DeBakker was unequivocal. “I came here to win the tournament, so that has always been my goal,” he said. “You have to play round by round of course and I have two rounds left, but you have to try to believe you can win.”

Romania’s Petru-Alexandru Luncanu, seeded eighth, will take on Slovakian Martin Klizan in the other boys’ semi-final. Luncanu came through with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Japan’s Kei Nishikori; while Klizan, who is unseeded, romped past Pedro Sousa of Portugal 6-1, 6-1 to seal his place in the last four.

In the girls’ competition, unseeded Czech Katerina Vankova continued her giant-killing run, adding France’s Youlia Fedossova to her growing collection of big name scalps. Vankova, who had to work hard to beat Fedossova 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, has now beaten three seeds en route to the last four, where she will take on reigning junior Wimbledon champion Agnieszka Radwanska for a place in the final. Radwanska, of Poland, beat Russia’s Alexandra Panova 6-4, 6-1.

Top seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia will take on third seed Yung-Jan Chan of Tapei in the other’s girls’ semi-final. Pavlyuchenkova needed three sets to see off accomplished Austrian Tamira Paszek 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; while Chan ended France’s hopes of a home win by beating Alize Cornet 6-4, 7-6.

Win or lose against Radwanska, this week has already marked a huge breakthrough for Vankova, who is the same age and practices at the same club in Prague as the Czech Republic’s women’s semi-finalist Nicole Vaidisova.

“I am really surprised that I am a semi-finalist but I always believed I could do it,” said Vankova. “I knew that I could play well because I used to have a lot of close matches against good players but couldn’t win. I had to work so hard to win my first round here (against talented Russian Alisa Kleybanova) but when I won that it gave me confidence. I thought about the ball, not about getting nervous. I will be nervous for the first two points of the semi-final but after that I’ll be okay. I’m happy with what I’ve done but I want to keep winning.”

For previous days reports from the Roland Garros 2006, please click here.

^ Back to Top
  What is RSS? RSS Feeds from the ITF Contact Us
© Copyright by ITF Licensing (UK) Ltd. All rights reserved. No portion of this website may be duplicated, redistributed, or manipulated in any form. By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the itftennis.com Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.