Koike channels Barty in astute win to reach AO Juniors third round
Japan’s Ena Koike beat the Romanian Maria Ciubotaru 6-2 6-4 in an hour and 17 minutes on a cold and blustery court 16 in Tuesday’s first match of the day.
Conditions were slippery (the heavy rain that was forecast had yet to fall at this stage) and, accordingly, Koike stayed on the baseline for almost the entire 77-minute match.
“I usually play much more at the net,” said the 16-year-old, who is seeded 11 at Melbourne Park and now into the last 16 in the girls' singles at the Australian Open Junior Championships.
A hard hitter who chases down every ball, Koike has been coached by her dad Yohei since she was three-years-old but for the past three years has been living in Bradenton, Florida where she is a pupil at the IMG Academy.
“We train for an hour every morning and two in the afternoon, five or six days a week," she explained. Sebastian Korda, the Australian Open junior boys' winner five years ago - and now ATP world No. 31, is a neighbour, she beams.
A tennis fan as well as player, Koike first came to Melbourne to watch the Open seven years ago, although this is her first time on court here.
And her ambitions this week?
“My goal is to win,” she said, simply.
Ash Barty is her favourite player - she is 'very clever' in the way she thinks on a tennis court, says Koike.
About 30 minutes after Koike came off court, the dark skies and rain arrived and play on all outside courts shut down for 90 minutes.
Rosita Dencheva was 5-2 up, with a set point, on court 15 against American Tatum Evans when the rain arrived and play was suspended. The break did not affect her mindset in the slightest as it took just a few seconds for the 15-year-old Bulgarian to clinch the set and, re-energised, she romped home 6-2 6-2 in 77 minutes.
Melbourne’s Steffi Webb was 2-2 with Germany's Sonja Zhiyenbayeva at the rain break but a break of her serve on the resumption when was 40-0 up saw her drop the first set 6-2.
Webb - who put out the top seed Sara Saito on Sunday - gathered herself to clinch the second set, but lost the third 6-4 to exit the tournament in a little over three hours.
Britain’s Ranah Akua Stoiber was in aggressive form against Australian Lily Fairclough, triumphing in 58 minutes for the loss of just one game. Seeded No. 13, she is one to watch and will face Koike in the quarter-finals should they both win their next matches.
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