The News Bulletin of the International Tennis Federation www.itftennis.com Juniors begin Down Under The first junior Grand Slam of 2012, the Australian Open Junior Championships, got under way on Sunday in Melbourne, Australia. Top seed in the girls’ event is Irina Khromacheva (RUS), whose best result in the Grand Slams last year was a runner-up finish at Wimbledon. She will be looking to go one better in Melbourne but will come up against some strong competition. Eugenie Bouchard (CAN), the second seed, was a semifinalist at the tournament 12 months ago. She had many strong showings on the 2011 Luke Saville (AUS) circuit, with perhaps her best performance winning the Copa Gerdau, a Grade 23 January 2012 Issue 4 (Photo: Susan Mullane) A event in March. Third seed in the tournament is Anett Kontaveit (EST). Winner of the prestigious Orange Bowl just last November, Kontaveit will be confident of mounting a strong challenge for the title. Top seed in the boys’ event is Luke Saville (AUS), last year’s runner-up. He will be looking for his second junior Grand Slam after claiming his maiden title at Wimbledon last summer. He has started the year strongly with a run through to the final of the Loy Yang Traralgon International this week, narrowly losing out to Filip Peliwo (CAN) in the Championship decider. Thiago Monteiro (BRA) is seeded second for the event and will be looking to improve on his first round elimination in 2011. His best showing on the circuit last year included winning the title at the Copa Gerdau. There are two other seeded Australians in the form of Andrew Harris and Nick Kyrgios competing in the boys’ draw. Both enjoyed a strong second half to 2011 which saw them claim a title each. Along with Saville, they will be keen to make the most the home support and go deep into the tournament. Results, reports and photos will be available throughout the event on: itftennis.com/juniors Scheffers & Vergeer lead Aussie Open field The 2011 ITF World Champion Maikel Scheffers of the Netherlands bids for his second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open Wheelchair Championships, part of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, which takes place at Melbourne Park on 25- 28 January. Scheffers ended the four-year reign of Shingo Kunieda as world No. 1 in December and Kunieda’s recent withdrawal from the men’s event due to injury means that there will be a new name on the roll of honour at the Australian Open for the first time since the wheelchair tennis events at the Grand Slams took on Grand Slam status in 2009. Cont. overleaf... Inside IC Junior Challenge finals News In Brief Rankings/Results This Week Next Week The News Bulletin of the International Tennis Federation www.itftennis.com Wheelchair Tennis article cont. This year’s men’s event could be more open than ever before, Scheffers having lost twice already this year to French former world No.1 Michael Jeremiasz, most recently in Monday’s men’s final at the Sydney International Open, the first Super Series tournament of the year. Jeremiasz was not ranked high enough to qualify for this year’s Australian Open, but there will be plenty of challengers as Scheffers bids to follow up his 2011 Roland Garros title, including fellow Dutchman Ronald Vink, Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer of France and Sweden’s Stefan Olsson. Esther Vergeer once again starts as a hot favourite in the women’s singles, having dropped just four games in seven matches this year, including two wins over her compatriot and world No. 2 Aniek van Koot in the Melbourne Open and the Sydney International Open finals. Van Koot, Dutch world No. 4 Marjolein Buis and Australia’s Daniela di Toro will be among the strongest challengers at Melbourne Park. Israel’s world No.3 Noam Gershony beat American world No. 1 David Wagner of USA in the quad singles final in Sydney and will be a strong threat to Wagner’s Australian Open title defence alongside Britain’s Peter Norfolk and Andrew Lapthorne. 23 January 2012 Issue 4 Results, reports and photos will be available throughout the event on: itftennis.com/wheelchair South Africa triumph at IC Junior Challenge finals The IC 16&U Junior Challenge finals drew to a close in Adelaide on 14 January with South Africa emerging as champions after remaining undefeated throughout the week-long event. South Africa finished top of the round-robin competition following wins over Australia 5-1, India 5-1, Argentina 5-1, USA 6-0 and Germany 5-1. The runners-up were Argentina. The six competing nations reached the finals, which take place once every two years, after coming through regional qualification events in 2011. In total, 76 nations from 18 nations took part in the competition. South African team The format of each tie sees six matches – four singles and two doubles – contested with a 10-point mixed doubles match tiebreak played to decide the winner if the scores are level at 3-3. The teams are made up of two boys and two girls, with two reserves also permitted to come into the line-up for the doubles matches. The IC 16&U Junior Challenge finals in 2014 are scheduled to be held at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon. Page 2 The News Bulletin of the International Tennis Federation www.itftennis.com NEWS IN BRIEF Obituary - Stan Malless Former USTA President Stan Malless died at his home in Indianapolis on 19 January. He was 97. Stan, a World War II veteran, served as USTA 2 Jan-12 Feb: ITF Central American & Caribbean Team President between 1974-76 and during this time to COSAT Circuit 2011 (U14 & U18) played a lead role in getting tennis reinstated as 5-29 Jan: ITF/GSDF Asian 16&U team, India a medal sport at the Olympic Games. 18-29 Jan: Level 2 Coaches Course, Seoul, Korea 26 Jan-6 Feb: Level 1 Coaches Course, Kuwait In 1979, Stan received the prestigious Samuel 30 Jan-4 Feb: ITF East African 18&U Hardy Award from the International Tennis Hall of Circuit, Kenya 23 January 2012 Issue 4 Fame in recognition of his outstanding volunteer service to tennis and, in 2008, he was recognised with a USTA Volunteer Service Award for 45 years of service. Page 3 The News Bulletin of the International Tennis Federation www.itftennis.com South African Airways ATP Rankings WTA Singles Rankings Position Player Name (Nationality) Points Position Player Name (Nationality) Points 1st DJOKOVIC, Novak (SRB) 13630 1st WOZNIACKI, Caroline (DEN) 7485 2nd NADAL, Rafael (ESP) 9595 2nd KVITOVA, Petra (CZE) 7290 3rd FEDERER, Roger (SUI) 8010 3rd AZARENKA, Victoria (BLR) 6865 4th MURRAY, Andy (GBR) 7380 4th SHARAPOVA, Maria (RUS) 6440 5th FERRER, David (ESP) 4925 5th STOSUR, Samantha (AUS) 5585 6th TSONGA, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 4335 6th LI, Na (CHN) 5570 7th BERDYCH, Tomas (CZE) 3700 7th ZVONAREVA, Vera (RUS) 5435 8th FISH, Mardy (USA) 2966 8th RADWANSKA, Agnieszka (POL) 5330 9th TIPSAREVIC, Janko (SRB) 2655 9th BARTOLI, Marion (FRA) 4710 10th ALMAGRO, Nicolas (ESP) 2380 10th PETKOVIC, Andrea (GER) 4500 ITF Wheelchair Rankings ITF Junior Rankings 23 January 2012 Issue 4 MEN’S SINGLES RANKING JUNIOR BOYS RANKING Position Player Name (Nationality) Points Position Player Name (Nationality) Points 1st SCHEFFERS, Maikel (NED) 5277 1st SAVILLE, Luke (AUS) 1258.75 2nd KUNIEDA, Shingo (JPN) 5048 2nd MONTEIRO, Thiago (BRA) 936.25 3rd HOUDET, Stephane (FRA) 4662 3rd BROADY, Liam (GBR) 818.75 4th VINK, Ronald (NED) 3282 4th UCHIDA, Kaichi (JPN) 711.25 5th PEIFER, Nicolas (FRA) 3103 5th KRUEGER, Mitchell (USA) 640.00 6th AMMERLAAN, Robin (NED) 2875 6th HARRIS, Andrew (AUS) 588.75 7th OLSSON, Stefan (SWE) 2446 7th PELIWO, Filip 585.00 8th SAIDA, Satoshi (JPN) 2002 8th EDMUND, Kyle (GBR) 580.00 9th JEREMIASZ, Michael (FRA) 1586 9th SILVA, Frederico Ferreira (POR) 572.50 10th CATTANEO, Frederic (FRA) 1537 10th NAPOLITANO, Stefano (ITA) 555.00 WOMEN’S SINGLES RANKING JUNIOR GIRLS RANKING Position Player Name (Nationality) Points Position Player Name (Nationality) Points 1st VERGEER, Esther (NED) 5949 1st KHROMACHEVA, Irina (RUS) 1300.00 2nd VAN KOOT, Aniek (NED) 3509 2nd BARTY, Ashleigh (AUS) 1105.00 3rd GRIFFIOEN, Jiske (NED) 3291 3rd BOUCHARD, Eugenie (CAN) 962.50 4th BUIS, Marjolein (NED) 2898 4th MIN, Grace (USA) 790.00 5th DI TORO, Daniela (AUS) 2146 5th KONTAVEIT, Anett (EST) 772.50 6th ELLERBROCK, Sabine (GER) 2094 6th GONZALEZ, Montserrat (PAR) 748.75 7th SEVENANS, Annick (BEL) 1642 7th DE VROOME, Indy (NED) 747.50 8th WALRAVEN, Sharon (NED) 1630 8th JABEUR, Ons (TUN) 717.50 9th KAMIJI, Yui (JPN) 1521 9th PUTINTSEVA, Yulia (RUS) 682.50 10th MONTJANE, Kgothatso (RSA) 1187 10th KULICHKOVA, Elizaveta (RUS) 655.00 QUAD SINGLES RANKING Position Player Name (Nationality) Points 1st WAGNER, David (USA) 4636 EDITOR: ITF Comms 2nd NORFOLK, Peter (GBR) 4068 THIS WEEK IS PRODUCED BY: 3rd GERSHONY, Noam (ISR) 3077 ITF Communications Department 4th LAPTHORNE, Andrew (GBR) 2461 Tel: +44 20 8878 6464; Fax: +44 20 8392 4747 5th TAYLOR, Nicholas (USA) 1681 Email: [email protected] Page 4 The News Bulletin of the International Tennis Federation www.itftennis.com Results week commencing 16 January 2012 ITF MEN’S CIRCUIT Doubles $10,000 SUTTON, GREAT BRITAIN Toni Androic (CRO)/Nikola Cacic (SRB) Singles FRANCE F1 FUTURES, BAGNOLES d. Patrik Brydolf (SWE)/Florian Reynet Richel Hogenkamp (NED) d. Amy DE L’ORNE ($10,000+H) (FRA) 63 62 Bowtell (IRL) 63 62 Singles Doubles Moritz Baumann (GER) d. Alexandre USA F2 FUTURES, SUNRISE, FL Amy Bowtell (IRL)/Quirine Lemoine Penaud (FRA) 26 76(4) 64 ($10,000) (NED) d.