 Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2009 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Sep 2009 |
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| 09 Sep 2009 - Flushing Meadows, New York - Sandra Harwitt |  Related Audio |
| Collarini returns to his roots and Stephens powers through |
 Andrea Collarini interview - Day 4 US Open 2009 (MP3 format)
Sloane Stephens interview - Day 4 US Open 2009 (MP3 format)
Lauren Davis interview - Day 4 US Open 2009 (MP3 format)
Tiago Fernandes interview - Day 4 US Open 2009 (MP3 format)
 
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When seventh seed Andrea Collarini of Argentina is playing in the US Open junior boys’ event, it feels just like playing at home.
Collarini, who posted a comfortable 64 63 second round win over Federico Gaio of Italy on Wednesday, was born in New York City. His parents lived in Manhattan for 15 years and did post-graduate studies at Fordham University before moving the family back to Buenos Aires when he was three-years-old.
“I was born in New York, Manhattan,” said Collarini, who spoke English first, and at home with his parents in Buenos Aires until it became obvious that his Spanish skills were suffering at school. “It’s incredible because I have people here, all my parent’s friends, and they come to see me play and cheer for me. I feel like I am home.”
Collarini was one of four Argentines entered in the boys’ singles draw, including fifth seed Agustin Velotti and tenth seed Facundo Arguello, but is the only one to advance past the first round.
On Wednesday, Collarini was in immediate control of the match when he broke serve in the opening game.
“I played trying to win every single point,” Collarini said. “I started by breaking the very first game of the match and then in the second set I broke in the fifth game and the very last game. He didn’t break even once my game.”
There were five seeds in second round boys’ action on Wednesday and Collarini was one of just two that survived to move into the last sixteen.
Third seed Bernard Tomic of Australia struggled through two sets before out-distancing Alex Domijan of the United States in the final set to post a 46 75 61 win.
“I get into these matches now and I’m not 100 percent and these guys are coming and wanting to beat me, and it’s a bit difficult when they start rallying,” said Tomic, who won the Australian Open junior title in 2008. “If I play my game and execute like I did in the third, I’m pretty sure I can get through them comfortably.”
Failing to make the grade were sixth seed Yong-Kyu Lim of South Korea, twelfth seed Julien Obry of France, and fifteenth seed Dominik Schulz of Germany.
Lim was ousted by a tenacious Jose Pereira of Brazil 26 63 76(5), who said that while he prefers to play on clay courts where he can employ a lot of spin to his shots, he’s been practicing hitting flat on hard courts for the last three months.
Obry was taken out by another Brazilian, Tiago Fernandes, who captured a 26 64 63 win over the Frenchman.
And Schulz was surprised by Tobias Blomgren of Sweden 64 36 63 in their second round encounter.
In the girls’ competition, fourth seed Sloane Stephens battled to take a 76 (4) 36 62 victory over Maryna Zanevska of the Ukraine.
Stephens, poised beyond her 16 years, is having an emotionally difficult week, but is doing well to work through it to continue to contend for the U.S. Open junior title.
Stephens biological father, John, a former American football star, was killed in a car accident in his native Louisiana last week.
After playing her first round matches in the singles and doubles, Stephen’s flew out to Louisiana for the funeral, where she met nine brothers-and-sisters, some of whom she had not met before, and then flew back on Tuesday evening to the Open.
“On the tennis court it’s not so bad, but off the court it’s a bit rough,” said Stephens, of losing her father. “It’s definitely hard to prepare for matches because you want to play and you don’t want to play. But once you get out there it’s not so bad.”
Stephens, who reached this year’s Roland Garros junior girls’ semifinal, had little trouble dominating in the final set, breaking Zanevska’s serve in the first and fifth games.
“I was trying to get into the court more to push her back and once I started doing that she gave up some short balls and I said, ‘Okay, that’s what I want,’” Stephens said. “Then even though I lost the second set it helped me in the third set because she was pushed back and I had the opportunity.”
In other girls’ matches, American Lauren Davis created the big upset when she upset third seed Timea Babos 16 76(3) 64.
“In the first set she took me off guard with her heavy deep ball and her huge serve and I was late on every ball,” Davis said. “I was nervous and tight. I just told myself to get my first serve in because she was attacking my second serve.
“I just told myself to believe I can beat her even though she was third seed and it worked.”
Sixth seed Silvia Njiric of Croatia advanced after a tough 67(3) 64 76(3) duel against Zsofia Susanyi of Hungary.
Ninth seed Daria Gavrilova of Russia also moved on with a 61 76(3) win over Grace Sari Ysidora of Indonesia.
And eleventh seed Heather Watson of Great Britain beat Courtney Dolehide of the United States 63 62.
Related articles:
> Former Wimbledon winners advance at US Open
> Top seeds have different luck in first round
> Babos taking inspiration from Babos success
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