Monfils and Peer peerless in Melbourne
http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/news/newsarticle.asp?id=11529
01 Feb 2004 - Melbourne Park, Australia - Eleanor Preston
Monfils and Peer peerless in Melbourne
Gael Monfils (FRA) and Shahar Peer (ISR) cruised to Grand Slam glory on
Sunday, crowning a week of majestic performances to take the Australian
Open junior titles.
Monfils’ 6-0, 6-3 victory over his friend and room-mate Josselin Ouanna
brought a surge of relief for 17-year-old Monfils, who was playing in his
fourth consecutive final going back to December’s USTA Winter Championships.
“I made finals before and lost but I won the biggest one, and that will
give me lots of confidence,” said Monfils. “There is relief also because
I prepared for this for two months and now that I’ve won it I can relax a
little bit. It’s very exciting. It was my objective when I started the
tournament.”
After a tight first game, Monfils never really allowed Ouanna into the
match, showing his friend little mercy.
“At the start I was really nervous but I saved breakpoints in that first
game and when I did that I realised that he was even more nervous than I
was. That gave me the confidence to play my game,” said Monfils. “I forgot
that he was my friend when we were on the court. It’s a bit sad that the
scoreline wasn’t very close but I am not sad that he lost because it’s
a match and that’s sport.”
Peer was equally ruthless in her 6-1, 6-4 demolition of Nicole Vaidisova
(CZE) in the girls’ final.
“I don’t think I can understand right now that I have won because it is
too exciting,” she said. “I can’t wait to get back in Israel to celebrate
with my family and friends. It is a big moment.”
Fourteen-year-old Viadisova seemed unable to settle down in the first set and
once Peer took a grip on the match, she kept her emotions in check long
enough to see out a straight sets victory.
“I didn’t really play well during the match but she played really, really
bad, and she would say that herself,” said Peer, 17. “That is the
difference between being a Grand Slam champion and just making the final.
You are both excited and nervous but I managed to get past that. I think
that comes from experience and having confidence in yourself and I’m lucky
too because inside I can stay calm.”
Things may be less calm for Peer when she returns to her home town of
Makabin, half an hour outside Tel Aviv, where she can expect a welcome
worthy of a Grand Slam champion.
“I’m very proud to have won this title for Israel, for the people,
especially with all the bad things that are going on there,” said
Peer. “I hope it will bring some happiness.”
Both Monfils and Peer have committed to playing the remaining ITF Junior
Grand Slams for 2004.
Americans Scott Oudsema and Brendan Evans took the boys’ doubles trophy
with a clinical 6-1, 6-1 win over Australian wildcards David Galic and
David Jeflea.
The Americans have compiled an impressive team record in their last few
tournaments, compiling a 25-2 win-loss record.
“This is my first doubles Grand Slam and it is a big one because winning
a Grand Slam to me means that we are the best team in the world right now.”
Oudsema also won the Australian Open title last year with another American,
Phillip Simmonds, but rated this one as “even better than the first”.
“It’s great to know that you can play your best when the points count
the most,” he said.
It turned out to be a doubly disappointing day for Vaidisova, who also lost
the girls’ doubles final when she and her partner, fellow Czech Veronika
Chvojkova, were beaten 7-5, 6-3 by the Chinese/Chinese Taipei pairing of
Sheng-nan Sun and Yung-Jan Chan.
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