Tipsarevic vs. Tuksar
by Prip
On paper, top seed Janco Tipsarevic would have an easy match
against Sasa Tuksar, # 30 in the junior rankings. In reality, the
match was a struggle all the way. Sasa started out playing a very
smart match against the top seed, attacking Janco's weaker wing, the
backhand, and putting enough topspin on the ball to make the
Belgrade-born Yugoslavian play it above shoulder height. Sasa
managed to get some good returns in to get an early break, but
couldn't get started on his own serve, and promptly lost serve to
even the match up. Both players held on fiercely to their service
games, and the first set went into a tie-breaker. Here, Sasa had
several chances to take the first set, but couldn't capitalize, and
had to struggle before finally losing it 8-6 with 2 untimely
unforced errors.
Janco had arrived in the tournament days before, and the youngster
was easy to spot in the corridors with his loud group of cronies
and bleach-blond hair with dark roots clearly showing. Carrying a
swagger and an attitude that would make Yevgeny Kafelnikov's pale in
comparison, he acted like he was the top player in the world. On
court, he was no better, throwing his towel at the ballboy, casually
hitting the balls around and making life difficult for the kids. When
Sasa took the second set 6-4, Janco very characteristically slammed a
ball high over the back fence, and the ball flew beyond the back
fence of even the next court which was quite a distance away.
His opponent was the direct opposite. Calm and collected, Sasa looked
determined to take the top seed out. However, the Yugoslavian is not
ranked number one in singles and number four in doubles for nothing,
and came up with a number of impressive passing shots and winners.
Janco eventually took the match 7-6(6) 4-6 6-1.
Janco displayed a rather straightforward game, not really putting
much thought into things, but able to come up with the shots. With a
decent serve and powerful groundstrokes, his real weakness is in his
movement, which is very choppy, and at times, can look downright
hilarious, especially when he is moving to his backhand. Holding
his racquet at an awkward backswing position perhaps a little too
early before moving, he will have to figure out how to organize his
limbs if he is to make an impression on the big boys.
Sasa Tuksar may have an awkward-looking service motion, but he
certainly gets the job done. Giving a quiet first impression, he is
actually very ready to receive a boost from the crowd, and will soon
learn to use the crowd support to his advantage. He doesn't have too
much power on his groundstrokes, certainly nowhere near the power of
Janco's shots, but plays a smart game, and is not intimidated at the
thought of coming to the net. The 17-year-old would definitely do
good to hit the gym and do some extensive strength training, and work
on his footspeed. Nevertheless, the youngster has left a big
impression, with strong determination and the ability to keep his
head together at tough times, as well as very smart shot selection.
Facing match point in his singles match, he actually hit two first
serves instead of a second serve, and it paid off well for him. As
for his personality, the youngster is very friendly and has so far
shown a pleasant character. Sasa's parting words: "Don't worry. I'll
beat him in Roland Garros."
Playing in a doubles match with compatriot Ivan Stelko against
Dusan Mihailovic and Igor Racic, the Croatian pair were down in the
second set when who should show up but Janco Tipsarevic. Sasa was
ready to serve at that point, and Janco casually walked right
along the courtside, with absolutely no regard for the fact that
tennis was actually being played on court. He was successful at
aggravating the Croat, but not for long, and will have to come up
against the team in the next round of the boy's doubles draw.
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Last updated 26 September 2015
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