Stricker and Riedi triumph to set up all-Swiss final at Roland Garros
Trophy-hunting Dominic Stricker and Leandro Riedi will put their off-court friendship to one side as they bid to follow in the footsteps of the stellar names of Swiss tennis after reaching the boys’ final at the Roland Garros Junior Championships.
The likes of Roger Federer, Martina Hingis, Stan Wawrinka and Belinda Bencic all have Junior Grand Slam titles to their name, with Stricker and Riedi now just one match away from joining an illustrious list of champions.
No. 7 seed Stricker was the first to secure a place in the final, beating Argentina’s Juan Bautista Torres 6-0 5-7 6-0, while Riedi, who is seeded eighth, soon joined him following a 6-3 6-1 victory over Guy den Ouden of the Netherlands.
Stricker and Riedi’s association goes way back to age-group tennis, while both are part of a close-knit Swiss group, which includes Jeffrey von der Schulenburg and Jerome Kym, that has grown up together.
“It is amazing to be a Junior Grand Slam finalist,” Stricker, who describes himself as an “aggressive lefty”, told itftennis.com. “I don’t really know how to describe it to be honest. I am so happy but I am looking forward to the final.
“For sure, it is going to be pretty weird to play against the guy you hang out with the whole week, talk to every free minute and do everything with, but special also.
“We are unbelievably proud of each other. He came to me directly after my match and said ‘amazing, you did a great job, congratulations’, and I did the same, saying ‘now it’s your turn and I’ll see you tomorrow’.
“Looking at the Swiss players who have won a Junior Grand Slam and seeing where they are now, it would be amazing to join them. It would be special but Leandro and I are both going to do our thing and we’ll see who comes out on top.”
Riedi, who before this week had never previously gone beyond the third round at a Junior Grand Slam, echoed Stricker’s sentiments.
“It is not in my head at the moment that I am in the final but it is a childhood dream that I can play in a Junior Grand Slam final, especially because I am up against my really good friend,” Riedi told itftennis.com. “It is a really cool moment and I am enjoying every second.
“I have known Dominic for so long and we are such good friends. I am super proud of him and I am proud of both of us that we have accomplished something like this.
“Four years ago, I remember us saying, ‘imagine us two in the final there’ and now it is here.”
For the second successive Junior Grand Slam, following Frenchmen Harold Mayot and Arthur Cazaux at the Australian Open earlier this year, players from the same nation will contest the boys’ final. Incidentally, Americans Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz in 2015 were the last to do so at Roland Garros.
But while Stricker is the higher-ranked player at his tournament, Riedi has a considerably stronger head-to-head record, having won all nine of their previous meetings. While he acknowledges that imbalance, Stricker is unconcerned.
“My record isn’t that good against him but in a Junior Grand Slam final it is a completely different match than the other ones and we will see who is able to give his best tennis,” said Stricker.
In the girls’ draw, France’s Elsa Jacquemot and Alina Charaeva of Russia will do battle after they navigated semi-final showdowns with Alexandra Eala of the Philippines and Polina Kudermetova, another Russian, respectively.
Like Charaeva, Jacquemot won in straight sets and is now one match away from ending France’s quest for a Junior Grand Slam champion. Not since Kristina Mladenovic in 2009 has a French girl triumphed. Victory for the 17-year-old would, however, ensure French joy at successive Junior Grand Slams following Mayot’s title in Melbourne.
“It is absolutely crazy that I’m in the final – it’s super cool especially with this being my home Grand Slam – but I’m trying not to think of the trophy and just concentrate on my tennis,” Jacquemot told itftennis.com.
“I do have a huge desire to win though and you can see that. A lot of people tell me that I have a different personality on court to off it and it is down to that desire to win. Shouting helps me to push for the win.”
Following her last-four triumph, Charaeva took time out to reflect on her tennis journey, with Roland Garros being the first Junior Grand Slam she competed at in 2017. Back then she suffered a first-round loss to American Caty McNally, which is completely at odds with her surge to the final this time around.
“This is a special moment because I started my Grand Slam career in 2017, so three years and I feel like I have a dream and I am reaching it,” Charaeva told itftennis.com.
“When I came here, I wasn’t really telling myself that I was going to be in the final, it was just point by point, game by game, set by set, and in the end I am in the final and I am so excited.”