 Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2008 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2008 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2008 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2008 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2008 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2008 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2008 |
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| 07 Sep 2008 - New York - Eleanor Preston | |
| Vandeweghe and Dimitrov win US Open crowns |
American Coco Vandeweghe and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov are the new US Open Junior champions after both scored quick-fire wins at Flushing Meadows on Sunday. Sixteen-year-old Vandeweghe picked up her first Junior Grand Slam title with a 7-6, 6-1 victory over Gabriela Paz of Venezuela. Dimitrov won his second Junior Grand Slam in a row by adding to his Boys’ Wimbledon title with a 6-4, 6-3 win over American qualifier Devin Britten.
“I'm on cloud nine right now,” said Vandeweghe. “This is my first junior tournament win in the ITF, and to do it at the US Open is an even greater achievement for me. So I'm just really happy right now. My game just kind of all fell together in this tournament. I kind of figured out what I've been trying to practice for the past couple months or month, and it kind of just worked.” Vandeweghe has strong sporting genes. Her uncle Kiki Vandeweghe is a former NBA basketball player and currently manages the New Jersey Nets, while her grandfather and great uncle were both basketballers and her mother was an Olympic swimmer and volleyball player. Vandeweghe has been brushing up her volleyball skills on the beach with her brother Beau, a college volleyball player but says she did not inherit much swimming talent from her mom. “I can swim, but barely,” she said with a laugh.
Paz had never played a Junior Grand Slam tournament before but that did not stop her cutting a swathe through the draw before running into a dominant Vandeweghe. “I'm really confident,” said Vandeweghe. “I was really confident even in the beginning of the tournament. Just starting out I had a rocky first match, but then as it went on I got better and better and my serves got better and better.”
Dimitrov came to the US Open with his eye on the trophy and had been given extra confidence by his victory at Wimbledon. The Bulgarian said his experience at Wimbledon helped him against Britton. “It was my second final in a Grand Slam juniors event,” said Dimitrov. “I was feeling very calm when I was playing the match. Also Devin gave me a hard time in the first set, and especially in the beginning of the second.
But I found a way to manage my game, and that was the right way for me. I wasn't nervous at all. I was prepared for that. You know, just keeping my game in the level that I wanted to play was good, because all the matches I was, you know, very focused. I think that's what most helped me.”
Dimitrov is based in Barcelona, where he works with Pato Alvarez, a former mentor to World No.6 Andy Murray. “He worked with a lot of players in the top 10, not only Murray and stuff. But I'm really impressed with him,” said Dimitrov. “I’ve been in Barcelona almost a year now. Pato has really developed my game. The key today was I had to be very focused when he was serving, because he's a quite a good service/volley guy. You know, I was just trying to win the point and just play my game. I really like the US Open. I wanted to win here because it was my last junior tournament. I was really focused on that.”
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