 Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 06 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 05 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2006 |
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| 09 Sep 2006 - Flushing Meadows, New York - Eleanor Preston | |
| Paszek powers into Pavlyuchenkova showdown |
Austria’s Tamira Paszek stormed into her second junior grand slam final on Saturday and could barely contain her excitement at the thought of playing Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for the 2006 US Open girls’ title.
Peter Polansky of Canada will take on Dusan Lojda of the Czech Republic in the boys’ final after knocking out American Donald Young in the semis 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. Lojda was too strong for Luka Belic, beating the Croatian 6-3, 6-3.
“It’s just a great feeling,” said Paszek, who lost to Agnieszka Radwanska in the 2005 Wimbledon final. “The US Open was the first junior grand slam I ever played in 2004 and so to stand here now in 2006 and be in the final two years later is just unbelievable. I feel so much better and so much more experienced than I was then. You work for it every day. You are really working hard so when it happens you are so happy. I feel like I earned it.”
Paszek has already been at Flushing Meadows for nearly three weeks after arriving early in the hope of getting into the US Open women’s qualifying draw. She missed out by four places but benefited from the extra time she had to practice and prepare for the juniors. “It worked out well in the end,” she said. “It felt bad to miss out on quallies but it’s okay. Bad luck turned to good luck.”
Paszek was much too strong for American Lauren Albanese in the semi-finals, beating her 6-2, 6-2. Pavlyuchenkova, who is almost certain to end the year as junior World No.1 if she wins the title, beat Czech Katerina Vankova 7-6, 6-0.
“I was quite nervous in the beginning because I lost against her in April and I knew that Albanese was a great player because she won a round in the main draw here,” explained Paszek. “I knew she was injured in her left leg so I tried to make her run and try to put the balls into the corners and finish off the point as quickly as possible. I felt it was going to be a tough match so I am very happy with my game and that I made it. Maybe it’s possible that all the people watching made her a little nervous but it made for a great atmosphere. I love to play when it’s like that.”
Polansky’s arrival in his first grand slam final was a huge surprise given that five months ago he was struggling to walk after a bizarre accident he had while sleepwalking. Polansky, who was in Mexico playing junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas at the time, cut both of his legs to the bone when he fell out of a third story window while walking in his sleep.
He feels fortunate to have recovered so quickly given the extent of his injuries. “It could have been a lot worse than what happened. I knew I was going to play, I just wasn’t expecting everything would go so well,” Polansky told the New York Times. The 18-year-old had no history of sleepwalking and hasn’t done it since, though he always shares a room with at least two other people and tries to stay in first floor rooms as a precaution.
Like Paszek, Pavlyuchenkova and Lojda, Sunday will offer him the chance to make a dream come true in an altogether more appealing way.
Sunday’s boy’s final will see junior grand slam history being made, since all four boys’ doubles finalists are American. Jamie Hunt and Nathanial Schnugg play Jarmere Jenkins and Austin Krajicek. Pavlyuchenkova, who has won all three of the season’s other girls’ doubles titles, will go for her personal junior doubles grand slam when she and Sharon Fichman of Canada take on Romanians Raluca Olaru and Mihaela Buzarnescu.
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