NEW YORKER LOUISA CHIRICO, 17, ADVANCED TO FRENCH OPEN JUNIOR SEMIFINALS IN SECOND GRAND SLAM EVENT, WILL PLAY UPCOMING WIMBLEDON JUNIORS

Written by: Staff on 12th June 2013

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NEW YORKER LOUISA CHIRICO, 17, ADVANCED TO FRENCH OPEN JUNIOR SEMIFINALS IN SECOND GRAND SLAM EVENT, WILL PLAY UPCOMING WIMBLEDON JUNIORS |

(NEW YORK), (NEW YORK), (June 7, 2013) – In the past, people may not have typically associated American tennis players with clay court tennis. After this French Open, however, that stereotype might be up for reconsideration.

Along with Serena Williams’ 16th major title victory with a straight sets win over Maria Sharapova in the women’s event and the Bryan brothers success to grab Grand Slam title number 14 in men’s doubles, there’s another talented player from the United States who made a statement on the red clay of Roland Garros this year.

Her name? Louisa Chirico, 17, of New York, who grew up playing USTA Eastern tournaments before switching her focus to professional events.

Although her run ended in the final four, Chirico put up a fight against the No. 2 seed Belinda Bencic, who went on to win the tournament, by taking her to three sets. In the quarterfinals against Kristina Schmiedlova, the American didn’t face a break point during the 6-0, 6-2 win.

“It was really exciting for me especially because it was only my second slam and everything,” said Chirico, who qualified to play in the 2012 US Open junior event for her first major tournament. “It was kind of a new experience and definitely really cool to be in the semis.”

According to mother Carol Chirico, “It’s been very exciting, her whole family is very proud of her being able to have this experience.”

Chirico considers the match against Bencic to have been a good learning experience. “It was a really close match, I definitely had my chances,” she said. “She is a really good player and whenever we play it’s always a good match.”

Having trained with USTA Player Development for the last three years and with coach Jay Gooding, who accompanied her to Paris, Chirico explained that her hard-hitting style and speed on the court proved particularly helpful in cementing her success in Paris. “I was trying to move into the court and be more aggressive this week,” she said. “I think that worked pretty well, especially in my quarterfinal match. I really like the clay, so I’m comfortable moving on the surface here too.”

In fact, according to Colette Lewis, who covers junior and college tennis, “Louisa has always said she loves clay and she has success on the surface on three continents, reaching the quarters at the USTA 18s Clays last year, going undefeated at USA Junior Fed Cup championship in Barcelona and winning the Banana Bowl in Brazil earlier this year.”

Lewis continued, “She has been improving with every match on the international junior level and that showed this week.”

In USTA Pro Circuit events, too, Chirico has found her form. Earlier this year, she reached the championship round of a $25,000 tournament in Arizona. In 2012, she finished as the winner of a $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in South Carolina as a qualifier.

The expert on junior tennis assessed Chirico’s strengths as a player, too. “Louisa’s mental game is a chief strength, with her patience and intelligence an major advantage. She is excellent at constructing points and finishing with either a big forehand or backhand when the opportunity is there,” she said.

For the future, Chirico looks now to a grass court campaign, including the Wimbledon junior tournament.

Her ultimate goal? “To turn professional,” she said, although she continued, “Right now, I’m not rushing into anything and I’m keeping all of my options open.”