 Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2007 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2007 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2007 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2007 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2007 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 05 Sep 2007 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2007 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2007 |
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| 07 Sep 2007 - Flushing Meadows, New York - Eleanor Preston |  Related Audio |
| Top seeds tumble in New York |
 An Interview with Kristina Kucova (MP3 format)
An Interview with Thomas Fabbiano (MP3 format)
 
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The US Open junior competition lost its two top seeds on Friday when Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Uladzimir Ignatik were beaten in the quarterfinals. The Slovak Republic’s Kristina Kucova ended Pavlyuchenkova’s hopes of defending last year’s US Open junior crown with a 7-5, 6-1 win to record her best ever junior grand slam result. Thomas Fabbiano of Italy beat Belarussian Ignatik 6-4, 6-2 to move through to the boys’ semis.
Kucova was cheered on by a rowdy group of Slovakian fans on Court 10 at Flushing Meadows and afterwards she said that they had inspired her to victory. “You feel them lifting you,” she said. “I don’t know them. They came the first day and they cheer me every match. They live here in the USA, in New York, but they come from Slovakia. They have been to all my matches in doubles and singles. There are about 25 of them – mostly guys. I have had sometimes three or four people cheering me but not like this – this is so strong.”
Kucova is two-handed on both sides, which she said can sometimes be a mixed blessing.
“It’s a disadvantage sometimes and an advantage sometimes,” she said. “I have to be quick on every point but the advantage is that they don’t see where the ball is coming from, especially on my forehand. I don’t know; I just play. When I was little my tennis racket was too heavy for me so I used both hands. I’ve played with both hands since I was six.”
Kucova’s win marked her second victory over Pavlyuchenkova, whom she beat at Wimbledon last year before the Russian took revenge at this year’s Australian Open, where she went on to win the title. “I am so lucky that I won today. It was a big chance for me and I did my best,” said Kucova. “She’s a very good player but I believed that I could win because I beat her before, so I was thinking on every point. I just wanted every point on the court today. I was just running and cheering on every point. She played good and it was a good match but I was better today. For sure making the semifinals is my best result in junior grand slams.”
Kucova will now play Georgia’s Oksana Kalishnikova in an all-unseeded semifinal. In the bottom half of the draw seventh seed Ksenia Milevskaya of Belarus will play reigning junior Wimbledon champion Urszula Radwanska of Poland, also her doubles partner, in the last four.
In the boys’ competition, Fabbiano was joined in the last four by compatriot Matteo Trevisan, who beat Great Britain’s Dan Evans 6-4, 7-5 to keep hopes of an all-Italian final alive. “I hope he makes the final not just because it’s him but because he is one of my favourite players to watch,” said Fabbiano, who will take on Jerzy Jankowicz in the semis. Trevisan will play Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania.
“I lost a close match to Ignatik at Wimbledon and I knew how to play him. He hits the ball very heavy,” said Fabbiano. “I tried to put pressure on him and he made mistakes. My serve helped me when I needed it too. It was very hot, and I took a break after the first set and put water on my face and I had ice every game. This surface is the best for me. As for the tournament, I think I prefer Roland Garros but my favourite surface is hardcourts like in Australia and here so it’s good that I am playing well here.”
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