Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/193236
US OPEN JUNIORS The US Open might take place in New York City, but ownership of this year's junior tournament belonged to Croatia. by Sandra Harwitt Ana Konjuh is a double junior Grand Slam winner in 2013 CROATIA RULES IN I n what can be considered perfect symmetry, 15-year-old Ana Konjuh and 16-year-old Borna Coric proudly flew the Tricolour — the Croatian flag of red, white and blue with an ancient shield of the region — in grand style to win the US Open boys' and girls' titles. The second-seeded Konjuh, a native of Dubrovnik, picked up her second Grand Slam crown of the year, in a real battle of wills against American wildcard recipient Tornado Alicia Black 36 64 76. The match drew an enthusiastic standing-room-only crowd that was thoroughly entertained by the quality final. "I just managed to do, somehow, this match to win it," said Konjuh, who also won the Australian Open this season. "It was a really good year. I had really some good results. I'm really happy. I want to practise even more to be even better." As for the fourth-seeded Coric, who hails from Zagreb, his victory over the unseeded Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia 36 63 61 also showcased the talents of these two teens. For Coric, who was immediately heading to his first appointment on the Croatian Davis Cup team, winning the US Open was a crowning achievement for his junior career. "I'm really happy," said Coric, who frequently spends time in Zagreb training with former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic. "This is my last tournament of the juniors. I finished very, very good. I've won [a] Slam. That was my goal in the beginning of this year, so it's [an] amazing feeling." Beyond the two Croatian teens, a few other juniors deserve honorable mention for showing off the right stuff during the final major of the year. Top of the list is the 15-year-old Black, who was playing in only her second junior Grand Slam tournament. In 2012, the Florida native qualified into the US Open junior main draw and reached the second round where she fell to Konjuh. 28 ITFWORLD AUTUMN 2013 Borna Coric was a first time Grand Slam champion at Flushing Meadows NYC