Wozniacki and Pavlyuchenkova Earn Spots in Australian Junior Open Girls Final

Wozniacki and Pavlyuchenkova Earn Spots in Australian Junior Open Girls Final ~~~

©Colette Lewis 2006
Melbourne--

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark will meet the hottest player in junior tennis, Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Sunday for the Australian Junior Open championship.

A steady downpour forced semifinals matches indoors on Saturday, and for the second straight day, the competitors needed to tune out the persistent hum of generators in the close quarters of the indoor practice courts.

Wozniacki, a 7-6 (5), 6-3 winner over fourth seed Ayumi Morita of Japan, believes the conditions favored her opponent however.

"I think it was an advantage for her that we played indoor," said the fifteen-year-old, who will be playing in her first Grand Slam final. "It feels like the ball’s going faster and she’s like hitting every shot. But I can’t complain. I won, so it’s great."

Wozniacki came from behind in the first set, and took a seesaw tiebreak, setting the tone for the second.

“She was always leading in the first set, so I think when I won the tiebreak she was like a little bit down. I don’t think she knew what to do.”

That’s not a problem the fourteen-year-old Pavlyuchenkova is likely to face, as she is riding a wave of confidence with her seventeen straight wins in Australia at the start of 2006. The eighth seed’s latest victim was second seed Raluca Olaru of Romania, the second time in two weeks Pavlyuchenkova has taken a straight set win from Olaru, this time by a 6-4, 6-3 score.

Olaru found her concentration disrupted by the combination of nerves and the noise of the refrigeration and air conditioning generators near the bubble-enclosed indoor courts.

“I was trying to hit shots, but it was noisy, I couldn’t concentrate and I was too nervous,” a downcast Olaru said.

“Of course she is playing well, but I beat myself, too many unforced errors.”

Pavlyuchenkova expressed delight with her performance in the past three weeks, making her third junior Grand Slam appearance more memorable than her twp first round losses in France and the U.S. in 2005. She wasn’t really expecting to reach the final in the Australian Junior Open, however.

“I won two tournaments before this Grand Slam, and I thought I would be tired and I could not play here well, but I just play,” said Pavlyuchenkova.

Looking forward to the finals, Pavlyuchenkova did not sound awed by the Danish girl’s game.

"I don’t know if she’s the best player, she’s a good player, she’s number one here, and she started playing tennis earlier than me. She has more experience, but I will play well. I just want to show the best of my game."

And although they have never played, Wozniacki observed that Pavlyuchenkova’s best includes a big serve, a weapon that the young Russian also cited as part of her heavy artillery.

"I think it’s very strong, and it’s uncomfortable for my opponents," Pavlyuchenkova said. It’s a strength she shares with her favorite player, which, surprisingly, is not among the myriad Russian women, but rather Belgian Kim Clijsters.

"Just hitting strong, strong and hitting to the corner, I don’t like so much," said Pavlyuchenkova, who travels with her mother and twenty-year-old brother. "I like different shots—slice, drop shots."

On Sunday, Pavlyuchenkova has an opportunity to finish a perfect run in Australia. But Wozniacki isn’t conceding anything.

"Hopefully, she won’t win every match over here. Hopefully she’ll go back with one loss."