Kym following Swiss boys' blueprint for success
Jerome Kym’s junior Grand Slam career is up and running – and having seen Swiss pals Dominic Stricker and Leandro Riedi contest last year’s boys’ singles final at Roland Garros, he knows not only how far that first step could take him, but now has the template for his own tilt at the title.
After tough opening losses at the Australian Open and Roland Garros in 2020, the Swiss 18-year-old overcame a tricky-looking first-round match against Jordan’s Abedallah Shelbayh with a 6-4 6-1 win to set up a clash with 15-year-old French wild card Gabriel Debru in the second round.
“Playing him today was a challenge for me,” Kym said of Shelbayh, as the duo went toe-to-toe for the first eight games before the No. 6 seed won eight of the last nine. “I saw him playing in some different tournaments, and we have a great relationship. But I’ve played a lot of lefties in the past, so my head-to-head with lefties is pretty good now!”
One of those familiar southpaws is Stricker, who prevailed over Riedl in the title match last October. Along with Jeffrey von der Schulenburg, the Swiss quartet have come through the ranks together, so it was both instructive and inspiring for Kym to see his friend lift the trophy and kick on to the cusp of the ATP top 300 in 2021.
“He showed everybody, and he showed me, that what he can do I can do as well,” said Kym, who like Stricker cuts an imposing figure on court at 1.98m tall.
“It motivated me to go home, to practice even more, to get better every day. I practiced a lot with my serve. My basic game should be: get the first serve in, then do damage with my forehand. That is what I saw when Dominic won the French Open last year, so I told myself, ‘Okay, if he can do it, why can’t I do it as well?’ It motivated me, for sure.”
In spite of a scratchy, COVID-affected schedule, Kym arrives in Paris in fine form after reaching back-to-back J2 finals in Austria, winning the Tribuswinkel title without dropping a set, employing the one-two punch honed over the past nine months.
“I had some opponents where I didn’t have to do so much,” he admits. “I just had to put the ball in and be solid, not to make unforced errors and that was enough to get through. But against the better players I needed to play like this: serve, forehand, get to the net and finish it with a volley.
“I’ve trained it a lot in the past. And it worked today as well – tight first set, but I stayed calm and I’m happy.”
Boys’ top seed Juncheng Shang was pushed all the way by a spirited display from Australia’s Philip Sekulic, who broke back with the Chinese 16-year-old serving for the match in both the second and third sets. Shang eventually prevailed, clinching a 6-4 5-7 7-5 victory in two hours, 46 minutes to set up a second-round showdown with another French wild card, Arthur Gea.
It was a good day for the young home hopefuls in the boys’ draw, with seeds Arthur Fils, Sean Cuenin, Luca Van Assche and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard among the French contingent to advance. Compatriot Charlelie Cosnet was the first to defeat a seed in the draw, beating American Alexander Bernard 7-6(5) 7-5.
Oceane Babel flew the flag in fine style for the hosts in the girls’ singles draw, easing to a 6-2 6-1 victory over American Reese Brantmeier. Up next for the No. 6 seed is Hanne Vandewinkel of Belgium.
Top seed Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva posted a 6-3 6-0 victory over Belarus’s Evialina Laskevich, and will face Julia Garcia in the second round after the Mexican fought back to beat France's Lucie Nguyen Tan 3-6 6-3 6-3.