US Open Junior Preview (Without Draws)

©Colette Lewis 2006--

First a housekeeping note:
There’s been a change in personnel at Smash/Tennis online, and it appears the column that I wrote on Monday is a casualty of that upheaval. I hope it will get posted before the end of the week, because it’s not going to be very timely beyond Friday, but it’s out of my control.

Now that the field is set (at least until the next withdrawal and the possible special exempts from the Canadian Open), it’s a good time to preview the US Open juniors. Unfortunately, unlike Kalamazoo or the US Open, the draw isn't available, and won't be until Saturday, if I remember correctly.

The most obvious observation is that the girls field is much stronger than the boys this year, with all three of the 2006 Grand Slam junior champions entered for the girls, but only one for the boys. France’s Alexandre Sidorenko, the Australian winner, and the Netherland’s Thiemo De Bakker, the Wimbledon champion, have decided to skip New York for lower-level men’s events, leaving only Martin Klizan of the Slovak Republic, who was something of an unknown before he took the French boys’ title.

The girls have the Australian Open champion and ITF No. 1-ranked Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, Agnieszka Radwanska, the Polish star, who won the French girls title in 2006 to go with her 2005 Wimbledon junior title, and Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, the winner of the 2006 Wimbledon and 2005 Orange Bowl titles.

The 17-year-old Radwanska easily qualified for the US Open main draw, and if she has a win or two, ala Andy Murray at Wimbledon last year, she may not stay in the junior draw. With a WTA ranking of 129 and a win over Pavlyuchenkova in the French finals, she's certainly the favorite. As for the U.S. girls, Lauren Albanese, who lost in the second round in the Australia juniors, the first round at Roland Garros and didn't play Wimbledon, has had a terrific summer--her win in the first round of the main draw Monday is a testament to that. She won't be seeded however, nor will Ashley Weinhold, who also has had an excellent two months on the Futures circuit and won two rounds of qualifying at the Open last week, which means that they are at the mercy of the draw gods.

Alexa Glatch, a finalist last year in New York, may get a seed based on her ATP ranking of 323, but she doesn't appear to be match-tough and last won a match on any level back in early July. Julia Cohen, at no. 7 the only U.S. girl in the ITF Top 30, lost early in San Jose at the Girls 18s National and in the second round in the French and Wimbledon juniors this year.

For the boys, who have seen six of the last seven junior Grand Slam singles champions come the the ranks of the unseeded, there are no clear favorites. Klizan favors clay, as does Jonathan Eysseric of France, the Italian Open winner this year. Eysseric is only 16 and may be a year away from challenging for the title, but Kei Nishikori of Japan, who will be 17 in December, is a threat now, as is, of course, Donald Young.

As for the unseeded player most likely to imitate Ryan Sweeting's performance this year, I nominate Philip Bester of Canada, who was an improbable finalist at Roland Garros in June. Bester, whose game is much more suited to fast courts, had a disappointing grass season, but as long as he doesn't draw Young, who beat him last year in the first round of the juniors in New York, I think he'll be a factor. And look out for another Canadian, Peter Polansky, who yesterday destroyed ITF no. 9 Sanam Singh of India 2 and 0 in the Canadian Open. Polansky was seriously injured in a sleepwalking incident this spring, but his results suggest he is fully recovered, and if he wins Thursday, he might grab one of those precious special exemptions that will keep him from having to qualify. Sidorenko did that in the Grade 1 leading up to the Australian Juniors this year, so there's precedent. The Czech Republic's Dusan Lojda, with a 621 ATP ranking, will be a tough out, as will Mike McClune, who is looking for his first win in New York, having lost to Marin Cilic in his initial appearance there last year.

If hotels weren't so expensive in New York, I'd be there for qualifying. If there are any readers who want to report on the qualifying, consider this your invitation. I know Marcia Frost of collegeandjuniortennis.com will be there.

Luke Jensen Named Women's Coach at Syracuse

Luke Jensen picked a good day for maximum publicity for the announcement that he's been named the women's tennis coach at the University of Syracuse. A washout in New York means a lot of tennis press looking for stories, and this is certainly a surprising one.

Jensen hopes to serve as head coach and to continue as a commentator and tennis ambassador, and his boss apparently supports this ambition, at least for now. I know Jensen loves the game, but does he have the technical expertise and enough experience in coaching to handle the job? Attitude and motivation are big parts of coaching, but they aren't the only parts. Knowledge must be conveyed. Players that want to get better need to know how.

Charlie Bricker posted a story on Lauren Albanese today, while TennisWorld's Peter Bodo spent some time watching the Donald Young/Novak Djokovic match yesterday and didn't like what he saw regarding Young's game.

Albanese, King Win at US Open; Young Loses; Junior Wildcard + Brian Baker Update

As expected, lots of news today, and on the American women's side, most of it was good. Vania King easily defeated wild card Alicia Molik of Australia, while Girls 18s champion Lauren Albanese dropped a first set tiebreak to Olga Savchuk of the Ukraine, but came back for the win to put herself in a second round match with 2004 US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova. For her efforts, King gets Justin Henin-Hardenne as a second round opponent.

Donald Young did win his first ATP level set, surprising 20th seed Novak Djokovic by taking the opener 6-4, but came back down to earth, winning only four games in the final three sets.

The men's doubles draw was also released, and Sam Querrey will play in the main draw with Jesse Levine. Kellen Damico and Nate Schnugg also received wild cards, presumably for winning the Wimbledon Junior title together, as they didn't play together in Kalamazoo and aren't scheduled to in the US Open juniors. I'm sure Michael Shabaz is wondering why the USTA didn't give he and Levine a wild card last year when they were the reigning Wimbledon Junior doubles champions.

Thanks to the commenter who alerted me to the latest in the wild cards for the junior boys. Here's the thorough explanation he/she provided:

Austin Krajicek has been given a main draw wild card into the U.S. Junior Open, replacing Wil Spencer. He was originally given a qualifying WC.

Adam El Mihdawy has been given a qualifying WC, replacing Krajicek.

Ryan Thacher, who was given a qualifying WC, no longer appears on the entry list. Thus, there's one available qualifying WC.

Tyler Hochwalt is now in the qualifying draw after several players withdrew. Drew Daniel is the next alternate.

Altogether, there are 14 U.S. players in the main draw and 12 U.S. players in the qualifying draw (assuming that the last WC goes to an American).

It was my understanding that due to other commitments Thacher would not make use of his qualifying wild card, and that appears to be the case here. I am happy that El Mihdawy is getting a chance in the qualifying.

On the girls side, Chelsey Gullickson has moved from qualifying to main due to withdrawals, and Mallory Cecil has received the final main draw wild card. Gail Brodsky and Ellah Nze have moved up to qualifying, while Julia Boserup and Carolyn McVeigh have been given the last of the qualifying wild cards.

And last but not least, there is definitive news on Brian Baker from his hometown newspaper. Again, I appreciate hearing from readers when they find stories like this one.

Taking Your Tennis On Tour:: Bonita L. Marks, Ph.D.

The Sunday before the US Open is about as quiet as tennis ever gets. Who says there's no off-season? It's today! Before I start watching the scores change on usopen.org for the Donald Young and Lauren Albanese matches first thing Monday, while keeping an eye on the USA network's coverage, I thought I would mention a book that I was given a copy to review, Taking Your Tennis On Tour; The Business, Science, and Reality of Going Pro.

I'm hard-pressed to think of an issue this book doesn't address. It begins with a very sensible chapter on collegiate tennis as the starting point, and throughout the book, it is assumed that the pro path is being pursued after some years of high level college tennis. From there it explores what is termed The Science of Going Pro with chapters on physical, mental, nutritional "toughness". Part 3, The Business of Going Pro, discusses in detail the economic realities of starting out, from private sponsorship plans and contracts to budgeting and taxes. Part 4 is titled The Reality of Going Pro, and it's a candid look at the none-too-glamourous circuits that everyone starts out playing, and the grinding travel they involve.

Dr. Marks uses her connections at the University of North Carolina, where she is an associate professor, to provide many real-life examples and anecdotes from players like Tripp Phillips, Brian Vahaly and Don Johnson. I especially like the section called "In Their Own Words: The Best and Worst Aspect of Circuit Life" when dozens of pros, few of whom ever reached the Promised Land of the Top 100, reveal what made the effort worthwhile, and what made it difficult.

My only objection to the book is how male-centered it is. Although much of the information is applicable to women as well as men, the lack of any acknowledgement of the special issues women face or even that women are out there playing is perplexing.

But I can't find fault with anyone who quotes my favorite line from Jim Courier about the life of a tennis player in The Journeymen: "It's like having a backstage pass to the world."

Sweeting Faces Choice....Again

After winning the US Open boys championship last year, Ryan Sweeting had to decide whether to begin college or embark on a pro career. He decided to go to the University of Florida in January, and was there less than two months when he was charged with DUI and drug possession, and suspended from school. Charlie Bricker of the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel has followed this saga closely, and he caught up up with Sweeting in New York, where he is preparing for his match against Guillermo Coria.

I don't have any inside information on which way Sweeting is leaning. The $5000 he earned for defeating Justin Gimelstob at the Legg Mason last month pales in comparison to the $16,500 that goes to a first round loser in the U.S. Open main draw. There's no question that Sweeting has had a great summer, but it's also true that he has some unfinished business at the University of Florida. It may depend on his match with Coria, a former world no. 3, who has fallen far enough to be unseeded, but was a US Open quarterfinalist last year. A win or a close loss could change his direction, but if Sweeting gets thumped as he did by Arnaud Clement at the Legg Mason, I suspect he'll be in Gainesville again.

Qualifying Complete at US Open

This usopen.org article has the details. How ironic that the only wild card to make it through to the main draw is Youlia Fedossova of France, who received her wild card via a trade with the French Federation. Jamie Hampton received the U.S. wild card to play qualifying at Roland Garros this year; she lost in the first round. Bob Greene has an account of Hampton's loss in the first round of qualifying in New York at tennisrecruiting.net.

The news on the women's side was particularly disheartening this year; not a single U.S. female made it through, with Ashley Weinhold, Ansley Cargill and Angela Hayes all losing the final match.

The men did much better, with four Americans getting through qualifying: Jesse Witten, Jeff Morrison, Mike Russell and Robert Kendrick claiming spots in the main draw.

Marcia Frost of collegeandjuniortennis.com has covered the qualifying all four days. Make sure you check out her stories and photos over the weekend.