INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
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US Open - WATSON
TAKES US OPEN JUNIOR CROWN
The 17-year-old from Guernsey is the first British girl to win the US Open junior title and follows on from Laura Robson's Wimbledon girls' title in 2008, while Andy Murray won the US Open boys' title in 2004. It was a day when the sun finally returned to New York and the girls’ final featured two unexpected contenders, the un-seeded Buchina against the 11th seed, Watson, who was expected to win. Watson had the easier day of the two on Saturday, breezing past 2nd seed Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand in the quarterfinals 6-2 6-1 and the 9th seed Daria Gavrilova of Russia 6-3 6-0 in the semi finals. "These are definitely the best two matches I've played," said Watson, who is 17 years of age. "I was just very consistent, but aggressive as well.
I was just banging winners, getting tough balls back, today I was just really
on my game." Buchina was down a set before she realized what was happening, but she got her second wind to record a 1-6 6-3 7-5 victory. Robson had led 3-1 in the final set, but could not keep her advantage. Serving at 5-5, the errors she had avoided for most of the day began to surface. "I played more than five sets, like a professional men's player," Buchina said, smiling. "In the third set of my second match, I didn't feel like I was tired or anything. I just tried to play ball by ball.” Watson and Buchina met in the quarter finals of the Eddie Herr tournament last year, with Watson winning easily. The Russian started strongly, breaking Watson's serve in the third game and then moving into a 3-1 lead but the girl from Guernsey who now is based in Florida went on to win the next four games to establish a 5-3 lead and served for the set without mishap. |
Buchina broke back immediately, and then served to save the set but Watson broke again to take a one-set lead. Watson, a quarter-finalist at this year's Australian Open juniors, held the opening game of the second and was covering the court with increasing efficieancy against the Russian’s powerful ground strokes. She broke Buchina’s serve once more to go 2-0 up.
Increasingly dominant, the British teenager pulled away and, at 5-1, served for the match. Watson took the title with a penetrating forehand to the Russian's backhand, which Buchina could only net, 6-4 6-1. Aussie Bernard Tomic got the measure and better of Chase Buchanan in the US Open Junior Boys’ singles final on Saturday, 6-1 6-3. The 18-year-old Buchanan, who received a wild card into
the junior tournament for winning the USTA boys 18s title in Kalamazoo, had
defeated both No 1 seed Yuki Bhambri of India and the 8th seed Gianni Mina of France in straight sets to reach the final. Buchanan played nearly flawless tennis in the first set against Bhambri, taking it 6-3, and went up 2-0 in the second, only to be broken back. It went to the tiebreaker and Bhambri's forehand let him down. Four errors on that side offered Buchanan four match points at 6-2 and he converted on the third to set up his semi final meeting with Mina. Mina, the Gael Monfils look-alike who plays a similarly elastic style, had come back to defeat the No 16 seed Denis Kudla 2-6 7-6(4) 6-3 in the quarters but could not match Buchanan’s consistency and twice had treatment from the trainer, going down 6-3 6-3 to the American. |
"My plan was to make him hit shots on the run," said Buchanan. "When he's running and I'm running, I think I'll win the point. In the end, I just broke him down a little bit." Tomic had no difficulty in his quarter final with un-seeded Tiago Fernandes of Brazil, posting a quick 6-1 6-4 victory there before facing another un-seeded player, Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France. Herbert, who had taken out Raymond Sarmiento 6-2 4-6 6-2 in his quarter final, also got off to a slow start against the 16-year-old Australian, but he made a match of it in the second set before falling 6-1 7-6(5). "I was lucky to get through that semi final, that second set," said Tomic. "He even told me in the locker room that it took him a while to figure out my game. Once he picked up everything I was lucky to get through that." Tomic and Buchanan had never played, but both are well-known players on the junior circuit, Tomic having won the Australian Open boys title in 2008 and Buchanan a US Open junior quarter finalist last year. "I always play well in finals of any tournaments," Tomic said, "and hopefully when I come out, I can play aggressive, because that's the way I think I'll win." That’s exactly what he did, and rather impressively so. The Doubles Noppawan
Lertcheewakarn was seeking her third consecutive Grand Slam junior doubles
title after the disappointment of losing our on her singles campaign, when
she and Elena Bodgan took to the court against Valeria Solovieva of Russia and
Maryna Zanevska of Ukraine in the finals on Sunday. The
pair won the French title this year and Lertcheewakarn won Wimbledon with
Sally Peers of Australia in July. Last September, she won the US Open girls
doubles with Sandra Roma of Sweden but she was destined for more
disappointment as the pair went down the Russian/Ukrainian team of Solovieva
and Zanevska, 1-6 6-3 [10-7]. In
the boys, Marton Fucsovics from Hungary and Cheng Peng Hsieh from Taipei
defeated the French pair of Julien Obry and Adrien Puget, 7-6(5) 5-7 [10-1]. |
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September 14 - Heather Watson won in
fine style at Flushing Meadows today with a straight-sets win over Russia's Yana
Buchina, coming from 3-1 down in the first set to win 6-4 6-1 on Court 7 at
the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre. Barbara Wancke reports; pictures
Fotosports International.
Although
Buchina broke back for 1-2 in the next game, Watson converted another break
point to restore her two-game lead at 3-1.