 Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Jun 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Jun 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Jun 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Jun 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Jun 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Jun 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Jun 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Jun 2006 |  Photographer: Susan Mullane
Date: 09 Jun 2006 |
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| 09 Jun 2006 - Roland Garros, Paris - Eleanor Preston | |
| Bester battles into Roland Garros final |
Canada’s Philip Bester shrugged off sickness to claim a place in the Roland Garros junior final against unseeded Slovakian Martin Klizan on Friday. The 17-year-old from Vancouver woke up at 4am before his semi-final against top seed Thiemo DeBakker from Holland feeling terrible and his participation was in doubt up until he hit his first ball. Miraculously, he managed to beat DeBakker 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
“It wasn’t pleasant that’s for sure,” said Bester. “I woke up and I didn’t feel like I was going to be able to even walk on court. Then I sat down with my coach (Jon Sorbo) and then something hit me – it’s not every day you get to play in a Roland Garros semi-final. I told Jon that he might have to come with me in the ambulance afterwards, but I was going to play. I’m as proud of winning that match as I am of making the final.”
Bester put his bout of nausea down to food poisoning, though he admitted it might have been “nerves that I couldn’t control”. Whatever the reason, the relief of beating DeBakker and the thought of playing Klizan on Court Suzanne Lenglen on Sunday banished any thoughts of feeling unwell. “I definitely feel better now,” he said. “I think the excitement and happiness is settling my stomach.”
Klizan beat Petru-Alexandru Luncanu 6-0, 6-3 to earn his place in the final and will be the first Slovakian boy ever to play in a junior grand slam final. “I’m surprised,” he said. “I came here to maybe win one or two matches. It’s great.”
Russia’s Australian Open champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will take on last year’s Wimbledon winner Agnieszka Radwanska in the girls' final.
Pavlyuchenkova, meanwhile, said she was looking forward to her battle of the grand slam champions against Radwanska. “I am so happy but I cannot think about that now, about how perfect it is because it’s not enough – I need to do more,” she said. “I cannot think about Australia either, because winning there doesn’t mean I will win here too. I just have to try to do well. She is good on clay, she dropshots well, she mixes it up and it will not be an easy match.”
Pavlyuchenkova is being coached by her brother Alexander and says that he is responsible for helping her improve this year. “It’s definitely my brother but it’s also that I am older and so I have got better,” she said. “It’s always about what is in your head and he understands me. He can tell me little things because he knows me so well and he knows how I’m feeling and what to say to me.”
“For me she is favourite because she is top seed and she won the Australian Open but it’s hard to choose between us. It’s pretty even,” said Radwanska, who beat unseeded Czech Katerina Vankova 6-2, 6-1.
Radwanska will be watched by her father Robert Radwanski, who is also her coach – providing, that is, that he can bear the suspense. “Sometimes he gets to nervous and has to go and watch on TV,” she said, with a laugh. “It’s not easy for him.”
Ranwanska and Pavlyuchenkova will also face off tomorrow in the girls doubles final. Radwanska will team with Denmark's Caroline Wazniacki to take on Australian Open girls doubles champions Pavlyuchenkova and Canada's Sharon Fichman.
Last years boys' doubles champion, Emiliano Massa from Argentina will appear in his second consecutive final, this year with new partner Kei Nishikori from Japan. The Argentine, Japanese pairing will take on Russians Valery Rudnev and Artur Chernov in the boys doubles final tomorrow.
For previous days reports from the Roland Garros 2006, please click here.
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