Junior tennis? It has been very disappointing...every tournament it's still the same old faces...none of the young guns can compete with them...why is that?

I like this blog http://www.fit-2-hit.com

cheers

Congratulations to Taylor! I have been following her progress since I saw her coach was Donald's dad last year. Good luck for here future.

Is the Russian tank in the photo a 15 year old? Dear me.....

Evert mentioned she was most impressed by the way Townsend won here - going away. Hope she keeps the momentum going, I wanna see her play with the big girls!

I caught the end of the match. Townsend's composure was remarkable; she was completely focused and serene.

Congratulations on your championship, Taylor!

She looks very much like serena! maybe she's goin' to make a successful career as the fierce queen!

uhm that looks like she got the... body to put uhm... well... huge amounts of power in her strokes.
looking at this picture somehow reminds me of the headline "age faking in tennis..."

Taylor may physically resemble Serena, but their demeanors seem quite different.

I only caught the last 10 minutes of the match, but Taylor seems unshakably calm, quiet, and focused. Serena may also be focused, but she's had some noisy and agitated points during her career -- so conjuring images of her being loud and agitated is easy for me. With Taylor, not so much - nor does she seem to have (or use) any intimidating postures or glares.

My assessment may be off, but I'm basing it on what I'd observed. My opinions may have been sharpened by witnessing Yulia's tantrum, which included slamming her racquet into the court at the net seconds before shaking Taylor's hand. I realize it was a painful loss for her, but her reaction was also painful to watch.

Congratulations Taylot! I watched and cheered you on! certainly someone to look forward to in the future!

Taylor's detailed stats going back to 2007:
http://www.coretennis.net/majic/pageServer/17010000ek/en/pid/15798/Tennis-Player-Stats-Info.html

Her USTA record over the same period:
http://www.coretennis.net/majic/pageServer/17010000ek/en/pid/15798/stype/usta/Tennis-Player-Stats-Info.html

^^ Thanks for the stats. Looks like this girl knows how to win. I need to watch her on replay.

I saw her match on the internet, she's a mediocre player. Azarenka, Kvitova, Wozniacki, Keys, Garcia were much better at her age, not to mention Venus, Serena, Sharapova, Hingis etc.
She'll be another Donald Young or Melanie Oudin.

She was coached by Donald Young's father? Oh dear.

She's a big girl for 15. Let's hope she has a good transition to the pro tour.

Aren't we done with the Williams sisters yet?
Is she Yotunda? Assrena's sista?

Yetunde Price was murdered. Your real classy!!

People seem to forget that Lindsey Davenport was quite large years into her pro career. I'd like to think that Townsend can do the same thing Davenport did, but for now why not skip the sweeping pronouncements and watch and allow someone's career to unfold? Congrats to Taylor for winning BOTH the singles and the doubles Girls titles.

It saddens me the number of comments I'm seeing about her physique. If she is able to compete at top level, I don't care - Lindsay Davenport is a great example. It's when a player wears down that I feel it's more of an issue (hence the critism on Pavlyuchenkova).

The US has two current ladies junior champs (Taylor joining Grace Min) and Madison Keys is, in my opinion, better than both of them. Doesn't seem so bad at the moment for the future of American tennis.

Moderator,

I think Ron's statement at 11:20 is really malicious and inappropriate for this blog.

It's not quite realistic to compare her to Serena, Venus, or even someone like Maria at that age. The reality is the age rules changed right after Serena, Venus, and Maria's age group was the last under it.

It impeded the younger players from playing in many main tour events when they were younger which slowed their development.

During Steffi's generation she was "mature" for winning her first slam at 18 and and 16 or 15 was considered prodigy young. Now 19 or 20 is considered super young to win a slam.

It's sad a player like this, at 15 could have been playing on tour full time for a year already.

The age rule changes mean that chances are we wont see anyone ever reach Steffi's record.

I second Good Tennis Fan's comment. Take Ron's comment down.

Leave this girl alone. we dont want another Oudin (or Poodin as I like to call her) on our hands. Let her develop before we put enormous pressure on her!

@Sam,

Get your facts straight. Graf does not have the slam record. Margaret Court does.

Btw, this girl is huge. I wonder if she doctored her age records like Tomic...

What is going on here? Where was these kind of article when Grace Min (usa) won junior US last year?
How about an article about Luke Saville (aus) who won junior Wimby (i think) last yr and won junior AO this yr?
because this girl reminds some folks of williams sisters they see need to write this article?

Of course physiques and conditioning matters. Taylor looks a bit out of shape. And like others pointed, she'll most likely won't be able to go toe to toe w/ the pros if she doesn't work on losing some of the fat.

Davenport didn't get the great results until she got more fit and lost some weight and was able to move around more quicker!

yea @ mui quite the same i mentioned above. come on...i mean i know that african americans might be look a little further developed...bodywise, but that girl got too big , not just her boobies, but just everything. well my guess, we wont hear about her for another 3-4 years, and maybe after that again, or maybe not

@Mui get your facts straight almost NO legitimate tennis commentator considers Margret Court to have the record because some of her slams were before the open era.

Stop trying to make others look like idiots when you cant get your own facts straight.

hello...the girl won both the singles and doubles here as a junior! her body is still developing and there are few porker russian girls on the pro tour now that are doing pretty well.fitness is a requirement in tennis.she has a net game and a lefty serve thats actually pretty good, and she seems to know how to win, looks like a bright future to me.she won't have a career if her weight is an impediment to success, it'll work out one way or another.
I'm loving the injection of so many new young americans on the scene, it'll be interesting to see who does the best after the dust settles

Congratulations on your championship, Taylor! We look forward to seeing you in the future. Continue to strive for excellence and believe in yourself - not the opinions of others.

This girl is not fat, and does very much look 15 years old. Here's her post-match interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoKC39iciC0. She looks like a moderate powerful build and talks like a teenager.

When the Williams sisters were her age they were tone Townsend is more like Daveport than the Sisters!

I also get tired of the racist comments about the Williams sisters and now this young American hopeful; enough already!

Sam,

Name me one (just ONE) "legitimate commentator" who says that Margaret Court's slams "don't count" and who think Graf has the record?

I expect crickets...

As a person who saw and analyzed Taylor Townsend at last year's US Open qualifying first hand, where she almost beat Laura Robson in a terrific 2nd Round qualifying match with winners galore and great all court play from both lefties, I can tell you this:

As Richard Williams said, Townsend is better than Serena and Venus at that age, and can seriously play with any player at that age in history.

It's more than the age rules that has change women's tennis. Rather, it's just the outright maturity of the game.

Even if there were no age rules, you would not see 15 or 16, or 17 or even 18 year old truly compete for Grand Slam titles in this era. The game has changed so drastically in terms of how physical it is, just like the men slowly developed out of teenagers like Michael Chang and Boris Becker winning.

Back to Townsend. She may not appear as a capable mover, but she can move okay side to side for her size, and is terrific moving forward. The girl even chips and charges the net, and has labeled Martina Navratilova as her idol. It shows in the way she plays the game by being superb at the net.

And Larry, she's better than Garcia and Keys at age 15. she's more versatile.

'Is the Russian tank in the photo a 15 year old? Dear me.....'

You're disgusting.

'This girl is not fat, and does very much look 15 years old. Here's her post-match interview'

She's adorable and definetly not fat.

Congrats Taylor! keep up the good work and bring the USA more titles

Ron ! that was a dispicable comment.

@Miu I never said Court's slams do not count I said that legitimate commentators consider Graf to have the record for most slams won because it was all in the OPEN ERA. Court was not a completely Open Era player and as this she does not have the record in many people's eyes.

I have NEVER heard a commentator say that Steffi does not have the record for most slams.

You are obviously combative about this and have some kind of vendetta for homophobic Court, more power to you. She is not the legitimate holder of the most Grand Slam record. Sad for you, stuck in pre open era while the rest of us live in modern times.

Obesity is a problem. Check the birth certificate, but they doctor
those too as we know already. Lot of criminals involved.

Hello Mr. Tignor - enjoyed the Townsend win! The opponent's racquet smashing at end was something else - wow.

Two questions for you:

1) Any thoughts on Tennis Australia? A few years ago it seemed that, with Hewitt on the decline and WTA Australians doing "not much", Tennis Australia was hurting. Now, quite a change. Stosur is a slam champion. Tomic had a great tournament. Another Aussie won the Boys slam title. Is this credit to Craig Tiley?

2) What are the birds above the Australian Open? I heard them during the Djokovic-Murray match. Another thing that sets the AOpen apart from others!

Congratulations Taylor! Maybe there still is hope for the next wave of American players. It was starting to look really dismal, with the thought of Serena and Venus leaving in the next few years. Keep up the good work, and trust me, you'll have our support.

Gotta say it's disappointing to see so many disparging and racist comments. I've always enjoyed the tennis talks out here; thought this was the one place where you could go for a laugh and spirited discussion and debate about your favorite player or tennis moment. As a person who deplores racism, I thought this blog was a place where there was some common ground among people from all nationalities who just enjoyed the game of tennis. Sad to find I have been wrong. I guess nothing will ever transcend racism.

Sam,

lol. Ok. thank you. I was right and you were wrong. That's all I wanted to hear. And why the need for personal attacks against Court? What does her personal views have to do with our back and forth about slam record? Bit obsessed are you? Let it go.

"Hello Mr. Tignor - enjoyed the Townsend win! The opponent's racquet smashing at end was something else - wow." (Andrew Miller)

Since I tuned into the match so late and only saw Yulia botch a short volley and smash her racket, I took it upon myself to look for a video of her playing under different circumstances.

From what is available online, she seems to have serious problems controlling her emotions. She celebrates very loudly with exaggerated fist pumps when she wins points, and she slams her racket into the court habitually.

I don't mean to be harsh on a young player, but she really needs to pull herself together. After watching the videos, I am even more glad for Taylor's win.

So wait this rolly polly has Martin Nav-ratface-ilova as her idol. Well Martin was alleged to be on steroids so let's hope taylor don't follow suit. since we all know "Tennis Has A Steroid Problem"

"both are African-American"

??? Really? What a striking similarity. When comparing players I have yet to see anyone write "both are White"

I'm never a fan of this 'who's next' talk. Can't say i saw this young lady play.....and I hope for the best for her. But.....tennis development takes physical maturation now just as much as mental maturation. The game is so grueling.....unless this (or any) player is a prodigy....they are not going to advance beyond the 4th round of a major.....and might win your 500 level tournament now and then.

I hope this young lady tries going to college and refine her game there. It seems like there is ample talent there to at least help practice elements of your game and not worry about financing your day-to-day life.

I hope for the best.....we could use a new US women's tennis player to look up to.

she is a credit to her race and america because the white players fail to deliver at the ao this year.

the last thing we need is another one of these types on tour.

"she is a credit to her race"

I haven't heard that racist expression in a long time.

I've seen her play in person and she is definitely overweight. She has good power and so-so lateral movement.

Hey Steve,

There's a typo. The $100K tournament Taylor will compete at next week is in Michigan, not Texas.

Thanks.

i would be very surprised if this young
lady doesn't become a world #1 in a very
short time. she really does show confident
talent and she's right about her net game.
and i predict that net game is going to
change the game the same way serena, venus
pumped up the game to another level.

that net game of hers is going to literally
scare the liver out of some of her opponents
while the coaches of others will revamp their
training to combat her net game.

life is interesting: from the USA side of things
serena will retire in a few years and this kid
in and step up. surprisingly, another home-schooled
tennis player if you will.

lot of these kids never make the transition but if
she believes what is coming out of her own mouth she
will make it.

"she's a credit to her race...."(?)
somehow i missed that but whoever
said it probably not aware of just
how far back they are standing.
honestly, some people make racist remarks
without even being aware they are light
years BEHIND.

Young Townsend is a credit to the U.S.
she will represent the UNITED STATES.
that is, she will represent you and me.

you white folks amaze me you will never change

oh oh another one. good grief. having two is enough.

Great job Taylor and keep getting better and you will be around te top of te food chain