IT appears to be the month of milestones for Katharine Baker. The British number one is debuting at the French Junior Open this week, just days after a spirited showing in the Astrid Bowl in Belgium consolidated her place among the top 100-ranked juniors in the world.
The Watford starlet is now carving a route through the pre-qualifiers to the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time, knowing that each victory in the tournament proper is worth a major leap up the rankings.
She has the momentum though, after her feats at the Astrid Bowl. Perhaps stung after being asked to play two qualifying rounds simply to take part in the prestigious Group One event, Baker demolished home favourite Ormella Hitimana 6-0, 6-1 in the first qualifying round, then breezed past Audrey Laib of France, 6-3, 6-1.
Into the main draw, Baker found herself drawn against Canadian Stephanie Dubois, ranked 91 in the world. Presented with an opportunity to test herself against a player one rung higher up the ladder, Baker seemed unable to respond and was twice broken at the start of the match to trail 4-0 in the first set. However, her talent finally surfaced and Dubois could not live with it as Baker won 12 of the next 13 games to book a meeting against the Bowls third seed, Vojislava Lukic from Yugoslavia, who was made to work hard for her 7-6, 6-3 victory.
May 30, 2003 11:00
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