 Photographer: Corinne Dubreuil
Date: 21 Jan 2008 |  Photographer: Corinne Dubreuil
Date: 21 Jan 2008 |  Photographer: Corinne Dubreuil
Date: 21 Jan 2008 |  Photographer: Corinne Dubreuil
Date: 21 Jan 2008 |  Photographer: Corinne Dubreuil
Date: 21 Jan 2008 |  Photographer: Corinne Dubreuil
Date: 21 Jan 2008 |
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| 21 Jan 2008 - Melbourne Park - Eleanor Preston |  Related Audio |
| More wins for Moore - Day 2 Australian Open |
 An Interview with Jessica Moore (MP3 format)
 
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Seventeen-year-old Jessica Moore is becoming something of a permanent fixture at Melbourne Park. Not only did she play in the main draw of the Australian Open last week, but back in December she featured in Tennis Australia’s wildcard play-off. Now she is turning her attention to the Australian Open junior tournament, where she is planning to use all that time on Melbourne Park’s new Plexicushion courts to her advantage.
For Moore it must feel as if she has spent the last few weeks playing one long tournament. “It does a bit but going out there today was a little different,” said Moore, who beat Claudia Giovine of Italy 61 62 to set up a second round meeting with Kai-Chen Chang of Korea. “But it’s still matches and I’m looking forward to playing as many matches as I can and play as well as I can, which is the same mentally I had when I played the main draw here. Playing the WTA was a huge experience for me because it was probably the first time I had ever played in that level. It was a higher level, I’d admit, but keeping that higher level in juniors will be a big step for my tennis. To keep that level up there isn’t easy.”
Moore is celebrating after receiving her first call up to Australia’s senior Fed Cup by squad, which will take on Thailand in Bangkok on 28th January. It’s a reward for some impressive results in both seniors and juniors. “It’s awesome. I found out a couple of days ago. It was so unexpected and it’s such a good feeling to be told something like that; it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, to go out there play for your country in Fed Cup. I’m just really thrilled and it’s great to be part of that team environment and hopefully I’ll go out there and do everyone proud.”
As for the juniors, Moore is hoping to emulate Brydan Klein, who won the boys’ Australian Open junior tournament last year. “It’s important. I’m not going out there to lose and I want to get as many matches under my belt as I can but I’m going out there with the process in mind and try to do the best I can,” said Moore. “Obviously I’d love to do it, Brydan did it last year and it would be great to have an Aussie player do it again this year but I’m going out there with my mindset on the process.”
Moore was joined the second round by top seed and defending champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who whipped past Romana Tabakova of Slovakia 61 75.
Australian wonderkid Bernard Tomic is seldom short of attention when he plays in his home country but the Queenslander took the expectations of his sports mad nation in his stride when he strolled past Chen-Yu Wu and into the second round. Sixteen-year-old Tomic is already signed to a management company and has a wealth of sponsorship deals and his tennis appears to be catching up to the hyperbole. Tomic won the ITF Grade 1 event in Nottinghill last week and looks set to continue that form in Melbourne. Like Moore, Tomic played in the Australian Open wildcard play-off in December and also played in the qualifying two weeks ago and has plenty of experience on the newly-laid courts. He plays Japan’s Hiroyasu Ehara or Blaz Rola of Slovenia next.
Tomic is seeded fifth for the junior Australian Open, behind top seed Cesar Ramirez, second seeded Pole Jerzy Janowicz, third seed Dan Evans (of Great Britain) and fourth seed Ryan Harrison of the USA, all of whom scored first round wins on Monday.
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