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 Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2009 | Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 07 Sep 2009 |
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| 07 Sep 2009 - Flushing Meadows, New York - Sandra Harwitt |  Related Audio |
| Babos taking inspiration from Oudin success |
 Timea Babos interview - Day 2 US Open 2009 (MP3 format)
Gianni Mina interview Day 2 - US Open 2009 (MP3 format)
Matthew Kandath interview Day 2 US Open 2009 (MP3 format)
 
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If you ask Timea Babos of Hungary where she’s taking her inspiration from during this US Open junior girls’ tournament, she’ll tell you Melanie Oudin.
The 16-year-old Babos recalls that in last year’s US Open junior competition she lost to the then second-seeded Oudin in a straight set first-round loss.
Babos has followed the 17-year-old Oudin’s incredible run in the women’s main draw this past week. Oudin, not that long ago playing as a junior, has reached the US Open quarterfinals with wins over No.4 Elena Dementieva, former U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova, and No.13 Nadia Petrova in the last three rounds.
“I’m very happy for her and, hopefully, in one or two years I’m going to do the same as her,” Babos said of her former junior colleague. “I am preparing for that.”
Babos made a good start on her 2009 US Open junior campaign by posting a 63 64 first round victory over Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine on Monday.
“I think my groundstrokes were pretty good today,” Babos said. “My serve could be better because usually that’s my biggest advantage in my game. Altogether, it was a good match, but it could be better.”
Babos, who is coached by her father, has recently moved to England to train at the Gosling Academy.
This season, she has played three ITF $10,000 events in Britain, winning one and reaching the final of two, which has earned her a No. 738 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour ranking.
“It was a little strange because some ladies were twice older than me,” said Babos, of playing in the $10,000 level events. “I was the new little kid and they didn’t know who I am, and I didn’t know everyone. But I think to play in these type of tournaments, and the junior Grand Slams, is best.”
Babos’ immediate dream is to win her first Grand Slam junior trophy this week at the US Open.
“That would be amazing,” she said. “This year, I’ve played a lot of tournaments, won a lot of tournaments, and I’m just playing better all the time. To win a junior Grand Slam could be the biggest thing of the year.”
In the boys’ competition, No.8 seed Gianni Mina of France, an amazing look alike for countryman Gael Monfils, was overjoyed that his right knee held up to deliver him to a 64 64 first round win over Yasutaka Uchiyama of Japan.
When asked what the problem is with his knee, he said, “The same as Monfils, (Rafael) Nadal, so I have to ice it every day. I was very happy because I have a problem with my knee so I was a little bit worried. I’m so happy now and I hope the tournament will be good.”
Mina, who reached the Roland Garros junior final this year, was unable to convert on two match points he had against Uchiyama’s serve in the ninth game of the second set. But he had little trouble closing out the match on his own serve to love.
“It was a good match and I play against a good player,” Mina said. “I knew I would serve after so I had the two match points on his serve. So, I was really relaxed and afterwards I had a very good service game.”
Unseeded Matthew Kandath of Albany, New York, a three-hour drive away from the US Open, enjoyed the home crowd support during his 76(4) 76(4) upset over No.4 seed LiangChi Huang of Chinese Taipei.
There were no service breaks in the match, which pushed Kandath to play a different type of match than he normally experiences.
“I had to grind it out to the tiebreakers and then had to fight every point in the tiebreak,” said Kandath, who is headed to Stanford University after the US Open. “Grinding that one out was a little different, but my fitness was there and I felt I could do it.”
In other junior matches on Monday, No.7 seed Lauren Embree of the United States moved into the second round of the girls’ competition with a 75 62 victory over Paula Kania of Poland. No.10 Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands struggled through a 62 67(5) 62 win over Paula Ormaechea of Argentina.
American Beatrice Capra, the No.16 seed, won her opening match 63 62 over Anna Arina Marenko of Russia.
In boys’ first round action, Christian Lindell of Sweden upset No.10 seed Facundo Arguello of Argentina 63 36 62 and No.6 seed Yong-Kyu Lim of Korea beat Maximillian Neuchrist of Austria 62 64.
Related articles:
> Top seeds have different luck in first round
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