New York | Brit Stojsavljevic lands US Open junior singles title

There’s a brand new title to wrap our tongues round – 15-year-old Mika Stojsavljevic, who turned the primary Briton in 15 years to win the US Open ladies junior singles title on the weekend.

I believe I’m nonetheless in a little bit little bit of shock, I haven’t had a lot time to course of it but. I believe it was a very good match. She [Sonobe] performed rather well, I believe we each stepped up our stage within the second set. I believe it was not one thing I anticipated, however I’m tremendous pleased. Mika Stojsavljevic

Born in Hammersmith, Stojsavljevic is the youngest junior champion on the occasion since 2006, when the trophy went to 15-year-old Russian prodigy Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who has since reached the ultimate of the French Open.

With a Serbian father from Velika Popina in Croatia, and a Polish mom from Warsaw, Stojsavljevic was raised in Ealing, the place she attended St Benedict’s College, and now trains on the LTA nationwide academy in Loughborough.

Ranked 36 among the many juniors, her run in New York was spectacular, the place she not solely gained the junior singles title, taking down 3 seeded gamers on the way in which, however she additionally reached the quarter-finals of the ladies doubles.

• Last: d Wakana Sonobe (JPN, junior world No 10 / seeded 7), 6-4 6-4
• Semi-final: d Iva Jovic (USA, junior world No 5 / seeded 3), 6-0 3-6 6-3
• Quarter-final: d Annika Penickova (USA, junior world No 91), 6-2 7-6(3)
• Third spherical: d Emerson Jones (AUS, junior world No 2 / seeded 1), 7-5 6-4
• 2nd-round: d Kaitlyn Rolls (USA, junior world No 17), 6-1 6-0
• 1st-round: d Charo Esquiva Banuls (ESP, junior world No 48), 6-7(5) 6-2 6-2

Within the singles, the one set she dropped was in opposition to 16-year-old Jovic, who upset Magda Linette within the 1st-round of the primary draw as a wild-card earlier than stretching No 29 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova to three units. The American was the heavy favorite to progress to the ultimate, however the Londoner shocked her along with her 3-sets win.

Standing 6ft tall, with dimension 10 sneakers, Stojsavljevic cuts an imposing determine, which she makes use of to bully the ball, and she or he got here away with 9 aces and 36 clear winners, whereas the overpowered Jovic managed simply 6 winners.

It was solely a quick lack of focus within the second set, when Stojsavljevic hit 3 successive double-faults to surrender a break, that prolonged issues into 3 units.

“It will be unbelievable,” she mentioned forward of the ultimate. “However I’ve nonetheless received to win tomorrow, and take each level at a time. I believe I used to be simply enjoying my tennis, truthfully. I believe I used to be simply going for my balls, assured and calm.

“It feels superb, I didn’t actually anticipate it, however I’m tremendous, tremendous pleased to be within the remaining.”

Picture by Manuela Davies/USTA

The ultimate was a rematch of two 1st-round junior Grand Slam contests final 12 months, at Wimbledon and the US Open, each gained by Stojsavljevic from a set down.

On this conflict of first-strike energy, it was Stojsavljevic who stored a cleaner scorecard, placing 14 winners to Sonobe’s 13, and committing 25 unforced errors to her opponent’s 30.

16-year previous Sonobe had not dropped a set on her technique to the ultimate, and she or he appeared to settle first, saving break level to carry for 3-2 after an edgy begin for each, however Stojsavljevic responded by profitable 6 of the subsequent 7 video games to go up 2-0 within the second set, producing a dominant passage of play that gave the Brit a decisive lead.

Stojsavljevic additionally showcased some helpful selection, profitable 6 out of seven factors on the internet total, however it was her backhand that proved to be her most dependable weapon, and she or he used it to seal the primary set with a crosscourt winner and made one other 2 clear winners from that wing when she served out the match to like.

“I believe I’m nonetheless in a little bit little bit of shock, I haven’t had a lot time to course of it but,” Stojsavljevic mentioned on profitable her first Grand Slam junior title. “I believe it was a very good match.

“She [Sonobe] performed rather well, I believe we each stepped up our stage within the second set. I believe it was not one thing I anticipated, however I’m tremendous pleased.

“I began off making an attempt to be extra constant firstly. Clearly in a remaining, you wish to simply get into it a little bit bit. I believe I used to be constantly getting good depth. It was a bit windy on the market, so I believe that might’ve modified issues.

Stojsavljevic and Sonobe have each begun to make inroads into the professional sport, and are ranked No 641 and No 792 respectively on the PIF WTA Rankings.

The Brit captured her first professional title on the Nottingham ITF W35 in April, defeating former No 26 Tamira Paszek on the way in which, and went on to make her WTA qualifying debut in Birmingham, falling 6-2 6-3 to Camila Osorio.

Sonobe has already made 3 ITF W15 finals thus far, and made her WTA qualifying debut as a wild-card in Abu Dhabi this February, falling 6-4 6-0 to Bernarda Pera.

Alongside clinching her first Grand Slam title, Stojsavljevic additionally reached the ladies’ doubles remaining at Wimbledon this 12 months with compatriot Mimi Xu, and has beforehand made the singles quarter-finals at SW19.

Mika Stojsavljevic dropped only one set on her technique to profitable the US Open junior singles title

Picture by Manuela Davies/USTA

Regardless of returning again to residence soil with a Grand Slam title beneath her belt, life is ready to return to normality for Stojsavljevic as she prepares to move again to high school.

“I believe I’m going again to high school on Tuesday,” she mentioned in New York. “I’m flying again tomorrow after which going again to high school. I’ve my GCSE’s this 12 months and, clearly, it’s necessary to get these carried out, and we’ll see after that.

“In our setup, it’s solely tennis gamers in our classroom. The Loughborough Nationwide Academy from the LTA have made these actually small lecture rooms to verify it’s simply centered on us. So I believe it is going to be a little bit bit simpler simply being with tennis individuals, however round faculty it is perhaps a little bit bit totally different.”

Stojsavljevic got here into the US Open because the least heralded of the three British ladies within the draw, behind Orange Bowl champion Hannah Klugman and the constant Mimi Xu.

Klugman misplaced within the 2nd-round to the Czech Tereza Krejcova, the junior world No 43, 6-4 6-4, however made it the semi-finals of the doubles with companion Pleasure De Zeeuw from the Netherlands, seeded 7.

Xu teamed up with Stojsavljevic within the doubles, and, seeded 5, they misplaced to Morocco’s Malak El Allami & Emily Sartz-Lunde from Norway, 7-5 2-6 [10-8] within the Final 8, who went on to say the ladies’ doubles crown, changing into the primary ever ladies’ main titlists from their respective nations.

Xu additionally had a superb run to the Final 4 within the singles:

• Semi-final: misplaced to Wakana Sonobe (JPN, junior world No 10 / seeded 7, 6-4 6-4
• Quarter-final: d Tyra Caterina Grant (USA, junior world No 4 / seeded 2), 7-5 5-7 6-4
• Third-round: d Rositsa Dencheva (BUL, junior world No 12 /  seeded 10), 6-2 6-1
• 2nd-round: d Christasha McNeil (USA, junior world No 57), 4-6 7-5 6-2
• 1st-round: d Lilli Tagger (AUT, junior world No 50), 6-2 4-6 6-1

Women singles champion Mika Stojsavljevic (R) poses with runner-up Wakana Sonobe through the trophy ceremony

Picture by Manuela Davies/USTA

The youngest of the trio, Stojsavljevic has been coaching on the Nationwide Academy in Loughborough for the previous 3 years.

Nationwide coach Katie O’Brien, who was a former Prime 100 participant within the early 2010s, counseled Stojsavljevic on her psychological power after her win, which meant she had emulated Watson’s triumph in 2009.

“It was distinctive how nicely she dealt with the event,” O’Brien mentioned. “Her tennis stage has at all times been there, and each match that’s passed by, she’s simply grown and grown.”

Stojsavljevic’s progress prior to now 8 months has been placing.

At January’s Australian Open junior occasion, her well-formed approach was already evident, particularly with the silky double-hander that generates straightforward energy on the backhand aspect, however she turned demoralised in her Third-round assembly with the Japanese 2nd seed Sara Saito, 2 years older, and misplaced having sprayed unforced errors in all instructions.

In New York, although, Stojsavljevic remained way more composed, significantly when her matches received tight, retaining her strokes flowing and utilizing angles with nice impact with nice consistency.

She took down each the No 1 and No 3 seeds on her technique to the ultimate, and she or he additionally proved an excessive amount of for the left-handed 16-year-old Sonobe to deal with.