 Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 04 Sep 2006 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 01 Dec 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 05 Jun 2006 |  Photographer: Aquiles Duarte
Date: 03 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Aquiles Duarte
Date: 03 Jan 2006 |  Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 29 Sep 2006 |
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| 21 Dec 2006 - Faye Andrews | |
| 2007 kicks off at the Grade A Casablanca Cup |
America’s Julia Cohen will be looking to replicate her perfect start to 2006 by defending her title at the Grade A Casablanca Cup starting on 25th December in Mexico.
The Casablanca Cup is the first tournament of the 2007 ITF Junior Circuit and Cohen won’t be the only one looking to start 2007 with bang. The top boys will be hoping to kick off 2007 as well as last year’s boys champion, Thiemo de Bakker, kicked off 2006. De Bakker went on to become 2007 ITF Junior World Champion, winning Junior Wimbledon among other titles.
European Junior Champion Jonathan Eysseric will be leading the boy’s field and he already has experience of winning a Grade A event, he was champion at the Italian Open in May 2006. Eysseric’s top four performances have all come on clay, so this may give an advantage to America’s Kellen Damico, who could be Eysseric’s closest challenger.
Unquestionably Damico is more comfortable on hard courts and proved this by reaching the semifinals of the 2006 Casablanca Cup. Damico has not had a great end to 2006, so will be looking to put that behind him and start the new year on a positive note.
Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis has taken a leap up the rankings thanks to his win at the Grade 1 Yucatan Cup so will be among the top seeds and hoping to extend his unbeaten run. However, he will face a strong challenge from the Romanian boys in the draw including Dragos Cristian Mirtea, defeated finalist to Berankis at the Yucatan Cup, so he will be looking for some revenge. Home hopes in the boy’s draw will rest with Cesar Ramirez who traditionally performs well on home soil, having picked up three ITF Junior Circuit titles in Mexico.
In the girl’s draw Cohen will be looking to make it a hat-trick of Casablanca Cup titles, already having lifted the trophy in 2004 and 2006. However, she will face a very strong challenge from the Russian girls, including Ksenia Pervak who is on a winning run, recently claiming the Yucatan Cup title.
Mexican hopes will rest with Valeria Pulido Velasco and Pamela Montez. Vulido Velasco will be among the top seeds, last year she reached the last 16, losing a close match to Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki who finished 2006 No.2 in the ITF Junior Rankings. She also has a 2-1 head to head over Julia Cohen. Montez has performed well in Mexico in the past, so will be looking for her first big tournament win.
As in the boys’ draw, the Romanian girls will also pose a significant threat. Ioana Ivan and Irina Begu have just picked up the girl’s doubles title at the Yucatan Cup proving they are in good form.
All will be looking for the perfect Christmas present, a Grade A title.
Visit www.copacasablanca.com for all the news throughout the week.
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