Zhang Ling overpowers No. 6 Li He-Wen-Fei for girls' title
Conjuring a fight-back even Lleyton Hewitt would have been proud of on the Final Day of the ITF Grade 4 Hong Kong Open Junior Championships 2004, 15-year-old Jason Jung of USA was staring into a 0-4 abyss in the deciding set against No. 2 seed Xu Jun-Chao of China, but somehow managed to manufacture yet another magical six-game run, his third such haul in the past two days, to strong-arm the boys' singles title from a stunned Xu, winning it, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4, in over three hours of high quality play.
The girls' singles crown went to 14-year-old Zhang Ling, as she displayed probably her most composed performance this week, overpowering the more experienced No. 6 seed, Li He-Wen-Fei of Guangzhou, 6-4, 6-2, to win her first ITF World Junior Circuit event.
[Draws] (updated 16 October 2004@19:47hrs) ? [PHOTO GALLERY] [Roll of Honour]
The first set of the boys' singles final went with serve until 6-6 as both players were not able to take advantage of their break point opportunities, with four such chances wasted by Xu and two by Jung himself. The ensuing tiebreak saw Jung draw first blood by securing a mini-break first to lead 4-1, only to have Xu break right back to 4-3. The youngster from California then took the breaker by the scruff of the neck, bagging the next two points for a 6-3 lead. Although the second seed saved a set point by pulling back to 6-4, he was unable to prevent the growing-in-confidence Jung from taking the next point as America's No. 17th-ranked under-16 player pocketed the opening set.
Jung saved a break point in the opening game of the second set, and then broke Xu at 30 for a quick-fire 2-0 lead. He then held at love to consolidate the break, firing his first ace of the match in doing so. When it looked as if Jung was going to embark on one of his trade mark runs, Xu dug deep to win four straight points from 0-30 down to hold for 3-1.
In the pivotal fifth game, the unseeded American served a double fault to fall behind 0-40, but fought vehemently to win next three points to force deuce. Jung then wasted two game point opportunities on two occasions, sandwiched between a lost break point chance by Xu, before the teenager from Guangzhou broke through to take the Jung serve for the first time in the match. At 30-30 in the next game, Xu won four straight points to consolidate to even the set at 3-3.
After both payers held their next service game to take the score to 4-4, Jung was broken again, this time at love, including his tenth double fault in the match, to hand the No. 2 seed the advantage. Xu duly took the chance and held at 30 for a 6-4 second set.
With the crowd expecting a climatic finale, they were not to be denied, as the circumstances were simply perfect for another one of Jung's improbable comebacks this week. The No. 2 seed broke the American's first two service games to jump out to a commanding 4-0 lead before Jung decided it was time to push turbo-boost, displaying a fight-back a-la Hewitt, scrambling as if there was no tomorrow, and as though his next meal depended on it. The rest, as they say, is history, as Jason Jung carved up the number two seed with relentless power, accuracy and fighting spirit to bag six games on the trot, reproducing the third six-game run in two straight days, to grab the final set for another impressive three-set win in just a tad over three hours. Final score: 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4.
The physically imposing Zhang Ling was equally impressive this week, beating three straight seeds from the second round on ? No. 2 Venise Chan, No. 8 Jeong Yoon-Young, No. 5 Chen Lu-Ling ? before powering past a hapless sixth seed, Li He-Wen-Fei, winning their girls' title showdown, 6-4, 6-2, in just a little over an hour's time.
The champion's form this week has been stunning. With only two Grade 5 ITF Junior Circuit events under her belt, not to mention exiting in the qualifiers at last month's China Junior I, the unranked Zhang managed to reduce the official girls' pecking order to shreds - Chan (No. 222), Jeong (No. 661), Chen (No. 526) and Li (No. 573) all fell by the wayside, with none of them seeds able to resist the powerful groundstrokes and determination exuded by Zhang.
Incidentally, the 14-year-old had been training with HKTA's National Training Squad (NTS) under Head Coach, Benny Lin, for the past two weeks. In peak form?...Yes. Coincidence?...Maybe. Girls' champion?...Most certainly.
Lastly, in the boys' doubles final that took place bright and early at 9am this morning, boys' number one seed, Anthony Tan of Indonesia, failed to atone for his disappointment in the singles as he and compatriot, Christopher Rungkat, went down to the eighth-seeded combination of 14-year-old Andrew Thomas and fellow Aussie, JP Smith, 6-2, 6-2, in just over an hour.
In rounding up the championships, Co-Tournament Director, Derek Ling (pictured above with the girls' champion), himself a former top junior of Hong Kong, a graduate of the Nick Bolletierri Tennis Academy and the Davis Cup Captain of the territory since 2000, had this to say: "The standard of the competitors and the high quality of play this week is right up there with the Grade 2s we've had over the years. Hopefully, we can see the next generation of top players from this group of outstanding juniors. And thanks to everyone who's been involved with this year's championships. Hopefully, we'll see you all next year!"
Results
Hong Kong Open Junior Championships (ITF G4)
Victoria Park Tennis Courts
October 11-17, 2004
Boys' Singles Final
Jason Jung (USA) d. (2)Xu Jun-Chao (CHN) 7-6(4) 4-6 6-4
Girls' Singles Final
Zhang Ling(HKG) d. (6)Li He-Wen-Fei (CHN) 6-4 6-2
Boys' Doubles Final
(8)Andrew Thomas/JP Smith (AUS) d. (1)Anthony Tan/Christopher Rungkat (INA) 6-2 6-2
Girls' Doubles Final
(3)Chen Lu-Ling/Veronica Li (TPE/USA) d. Anthea Look/Zhang Ling (HKG) 7-6(3) 6-4
Note:
J a s o n J u n g... At A Glance
- DOB: 15 June 1989
- Residence: Torrance, California, USA
- Favourite player: Gustavo Kuerten
- Boys' 18U Winner, 20th Los Caballeros Junior Tournament, Sep 2004
- Boys' 18U Quarterfinalist, Quiksilver Open, Irvine, CA, USTA L3, May 2004
- Boys' 16U Semifinalist, The Easter Bowl, Palm Springs, CA, USTA L1, Apr 2004
- Boys' 16U Winner, National Open, El Monte, CA, USTA L2, Feb 2004
- Boys' 16U Quarterfinalist, Franklin Winter, Southfield, MI USA, USTA L3, Jan 2004
- Boys' 18U Quarterfinalist, USTA National Open Championships, November 2003
- USTA Boys' 12U No. 3, 2001
- USTA Boys' 12U No. 2, 2002
- USTA Boys' 14U No. 7, 2003
- USTA Boys' 16U No. 15 (highest), 2004
Source:
www.usta.com
www.juniortennis.com