 Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 03 Jul 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 03 Jul 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 03 Jul 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 03 Jul 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 03 Jul 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 03 Jul 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 03 Jul 2009 |
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| 03 Jul 2009 - Wimbledon - Simon Cambers | |
| Singles finals line-up decided in Wimbledon |
When Jordan Cox was about eight years old, he went to Wimbledon for the first time and played for fun with a family friend. On Sunday, having qualified to get into the draw, he will play for the junior Wimbledon title.
The American will take on Russian Andrey Kuznetsov in the final after a titanic battle with his friend and doubles partner, Devin Britton, in which he came out on top 63 67 1614 after more than two and a half hours. Kuznetsov upset No 3 seed Bernard Tomic of Australia 63 76.
The girls’ final on Saturday will be between No 1 seed Kristina Mladenovic of France and last year’s runner-up Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand, both of whom recorded easy straight-set wins in their semi-finals.
The intensity of the occasion prompted Cox and Britton to change their usual ritual of practising together before matches, but when they finally met up for the first time in the day, they then became embroiled in a pulsating battle.
Britton won the Roehampton title the week before Wimbledon and when he hit back to take the second set and led by an early break in the third, it looked like he would go on to win, but Cox broke back and after missing three match points at 1413, he finally broke Britton again to reach the final.
“It is unbelievable,” Cox said. “I didn’t expect it, coming through the qualifying and stuff. I always knew I could play this sort of tennis, but putting it back to back each match and coming out here and performing like this, is great. I am enjoying it and looking forward to Sunday.
“When he broke me in the third set, to be honest I thought it was over, the way he was serving. I managed to get back some returns and get that break back, and then my serve started to pick up and I started to believe more and more. The last game I broke I don’t even know how I did it, I just stuck out a racket and the ball went to the right place.”
There was no wild celebration from Cox when he won as he embraced his friend and doubles partner at the end. “I know it meant a lot to him that match and it obviously meant a lot to me. There had to be one winner but I have a lot of respect for him and we’re still going to be very, very good friends afterwards.”
Cox said he had been given him some tips from Tomic about how to beat Kuznetsov in the final. The Australian would have been better to have used them himself against the Russian, but he was very much second-best.
“I knew that if I played well,” Kuznetsov said. “I would have good chances to win, so I wasn’t nervous. I saw his game and I was sure that he can’t do anything that I can’t do.”
The Russian said he was proud to be in the final and was confident that he could go all the way to the title. “I haven’t played him,” he said. “I just warmed up once with Cox before a match, but I think I have good chances to win.
The girls’ final will be a tall versus small affair as French Open champion Mladenovic takes on Noppawan, beaten by Briton Laura Robson in the final 12 months ago.
The 16-year-old Mladenovic crushed Miyabi Inoue of Japan 61 62 to reach her second consecutive grand-slam final, having won the French Open a month ago. “I am very happy. I played good tennis today. It’s incredible to say that I have won a grand slam. Two titles for me would be very nice.”
Mladenovic said she expected a difficult encounter against No 4 seed Noppawan, who crushed No 6 seed Timea Babos of Hungary 62 60. “I know Noppawan very well,” she said. “In Australia, I lost 75 in the third, and then I won in Roehampton last week. I think it will be a very tough match.”
Noppawan said she was excited at the prospect of going one better than last year, when she was beaten in three sets by Robson in the final.
“This is big for me because it is my last year so I really want to win it. I lost to her last week - she has a very big serve. She likes to attack from the first exchange, so I have to be very careful.”
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> Tuesday at the Junior Wimbledon Championships
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> Junior Wimbledon preview
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