Yepifanova playing in memory of Anisimova's father

For 16-year-old qualifier Alexandra Yepifanova this week’s journey to the US Open final has been a somewhat emotional experience.

Yepifanova is very much a global citizen: she was born in the United States, lived for five years when younger in her parents’ hometown of Moscow, Russia, before moving back stateside to Florida.

While she took the decision this spring to move to Bradenton, Florida, to train at the IMG Academy, much of her formative years were spent training with Konstantin Anisimov, the father of Amanda Anisimova, who unexpectedly passed away a few days shy of his 53rd birthday last month.

“Prior to (IMG) I was working with Amanda Anisimova’s father, Konstantin, and I was working with him since I was 12,” she said. “I really want to dedicate this good result to him because of all the work he put into me and to help me progress as a person and a player. He was more like a family member than a coach.

“I would consider her (Amanda) one of my best friends. She just turned 18 (shortly after her father died) and I was there to help her celebrate.”

It was a long day at the office for all the juniors competing in the singles on Saturday as they had to play their quarter-final and semi-final matches after rain suspended play on Friday.

Yepifanova defeated fellow American Reese Brantmeier 4-6 6-3 6-1 in the quarter-finals and then upset fifth seed Zheng Qinwen of China 3-6 6-4 7-5 in the semi-finals.

Currently ranked No.87 in the junior standings, the only other Grand Slam Yepifanova played was when she qualified at Wimbledon earlier this summer. Now, once again as a qualifier, she’s motored her way to compete for the girls’ singles title.

“Coming into this tournament I was pretty disappointed I didn’t get a wildcard into the main draw, but now feel I gained confidence having to qualify,” Yepifanova said.

In order to hoist the trophy she’ll have to upset another prominent seed in fourth seed Maria Camilla Osorio Serrano of Colombia.

Osorio defeated seventh seed Kamilla Bartone of Latvia 6-3 6-4 in the quarter-finals and then defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia 6-3 6-7(3) 6-4 in the semi-finals.

Osorio, who had her upper left thigh wrapped on Saturday, was determined not to end her US Open in the semi-finals as she did last year. Once she decided to enter into the US Open juniors - her last junior event - she came with the intention of taking home the trophy.

“You can’t imagine how I feel right now,” Osorio said. “In the third set I was 3-0 down and I was like, ‘Camilla, C’mon, you have to change this.’ I wasn’t supposed to come here because I’m going to focus on the pros, but then I decided I have to come here.

“Right now, I feel like a superstar because I’m in the final,” she added.

In the boys’ draw, 17-year-old Emilio Nava, also playing in his final junior tournament, would like to go one step further than he did in Australia at the beginning of the year. On that occasion, he reached the finals of the singles and doubles, but came home to Los Angeles without either winners’ trophy.

“I think (Australia) will help a lot,” Nava said. “I learned so much from that match, which helped throughout the whole year. Now I’m going to go out there and just improve little things, but not too much because I feel like I”m playing pretty notch right now. I’m going to stay focused and do my job.”

Nava lost all of eight games - four games in each match - on Saturday. In the quarters he defeated 15th seed Jiri Lehecka of Czech Republic 6-3 6-1, and then took out fellow American Cannon Kingsley 6-4 6-0.

Nava was born and raised in Los Angles to Mexican parents, who both come from a sports background. Dad was an Olympic track runner and mom was an Olympic tennis player. Nowadays, mom is his coach and dad his physical trainer.

“I guess I have a couple of good genes,” Nava said.

Asked what makes his mother a good coach, he said, smiling, “Her yelling. I’m serious. She gets fired up. She doesn’t yell that much anymore. There’s a good relationship there.”

When asked if at home she reverts from coach to just mom, he laughingly admitted, “You’d think, but not really. She’ll be cooking food and she’ll be like, ‘You have to practice more on this shot and I’m like, ‘Okay, mom, I’m eating.”

Nava will face fourth seed Jonas Forejtek of the Czech Republic in the final.

Forejtek defeated Milan Welte of Germany 3-6 7-5 7-5 in the quarters and then outlasted 11th-seeded Brandon Nakashima of the USA 7-6(4) 6-3 to reach the final.

The 18-year-old Forejtek is hoping his recent experience winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon boys’ doubles titles will help calm his nerves in Sunday’s singles final.

“I think it’s possible,” Forejtek said. “Let’s see.”

The unseeded American pairing of Eliot Spizzirri and Tyler Zink carved out a memory of a lifetime in their final junior match together by winning the US Open boys’ doubles title with a 7-6(4) 6-4 win over Andrew Paulson of Czech Republic and Alexander Zgirovsky of Belarus.

The girls’ doubles final between fifth seeds Bartone and Selekhmeteva against unseeded French girls’ Aubane Droguet and Selena Janicijevic was postponed until Sunday.