JASIKA, BOUZKOVA WIN U.S. OPEN JUNIORS, KUNIEDA, KAMIJI CAPTURE WHEELCHAIR TITLES BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 7th September 2014

JASIKA, BOUZKOVA WIN U.S. OPEN JUNIORS, KUNIEDA, KAMIJI CAPTURE WHEELCHAIR TITLES BY RICKY DIMON |

David Wagner & Nick Taylor

Both of the U.S. Open junior singles titles were won by unseeded participants on Sunday. On the boys’ side, Australian Omar Jasika overcame Quentin Halys of France 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. The Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova triumphed in the girls’ event by holding off Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 6-4, 7-6(5).

For most of the contest it did not look like this would be Jasika’s day. He trailed by a set and 5-4 in the second, but Halys–who had survived two match points against him versus Francis Tiafoe in the semifinals–failed to serve out the match. After breaking for 5-5, it was all Jasika the rest of the way.

Impressively, Jasika also triumphed in the doubles tournament with Japanese partner Naoki Nakagawa. The sixth seeds defeated Brazilians Rafael Matos and Joao Menezes 6-3, 7-6(6).

“Kind of in the third round maybe or fourth round I started to think about it in the back of my head,” Jasika said when asked about the singles-doubles double. “‘Imagine if I actually won singles and doubles.’ As I got closer, (it) started to get into my head. All I was thinking was, ‘singles and doubles, singles and doubles.’ This week has been unreal for me. It feels unbelievable.”

Bouzkova needed two hours and three minutes to become the first Czech girl in history to win the U.S. Open junior title. She trailed 4-3 in each of the two sets but won give games in a row midway through the match to take control. Kalinina saved two match points late in the second set before finally succumbing in a tiebreaker.

“I didn’t expect it at all,” Bouzkova admitted. “Just to be out there today and play my game and win, it’s incredible. This week was incredible for me.”

It was an outstanding–but also somewhat expected–week for Japan in the wheelchair competition. No. 1 seeds Shingo Kunieda and Yui Kamiji, both Japanese, secured respective men’s and women’s singles titles. Kunieda won his fifth U.S. Open title by defeating Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina 7-6(0), 6-4. Kamiji had no trouble getting past the Netherlands’ Aniek Van Koot 6-3, 6-3.

Interestingly, Kunieda was the first tennis player to be sponsored by Uniqlo. The company’s most famous tennis client, Kei Nishikori, will battle for the men’s singles title on Monday.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: Anhelina Kalinina, Marie Bouzkova, Omar Jasika, Quentin Halys, Ricky Dimon, Shingo Kunieda, US Open tennis, Wheelchair Tennis

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10sBalls_com says:

September 7, 2014 at 8:59 pm

@OJasika, #BOUZKOVA WIN @usopen #JUNIORS, #KUNIEDA, KAMIJI CAPTURE #WHEELCHAIRTENNIS TITLES BY @RD_Tennistalk http://t.co/1QQYIo05ob #USOpen
RD_Tennistalk says:

September 7, 2014 at 9:26 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: @OJasika, #BOUZKOVA WIN @usopen #JUNIORS, #KUNIEDA, KAMIJI CAPTURE #WHEELCHAIRTENNIS TITLES BY @RD_Tennistalk http://t.co…