Krajicek Wins Tashkent, First Tour Singles Title:: WTATour.com

WTATour.com - Krajicek Wins Tashkent, First Tour Singles Title~~~

There's no denying that last year's U.S. Open Jr. Champions are making names for themselves. Andy Murray, being the great British hope that he is, is generating stories by the hundreds, and now Michaella Krajicek has won her first WTA event.

In my Eight Most Intriguing Questions in Junior Tennis for 2005 posted back in January, Krajicek and Vaidisova's respective futures were comparable. It's ironic that Vaidisova was the defending champion at Tashkent, but took a step up and won the Tokyo WTA event this week, indicating that Krajicek might be a year behind the Czech, who has now won four tour titles and reached the Top 20. Krajicek's progress has been hindered by an injury she suffered prior to Wimbledon and only returned to the tour last week in Luxembourg, where she qualified, but lost in the first round.

Both Vaidisova and Krajicek are 16, and their wins in Tokyo and Tashkent this week are historic, as it marks the first time two sixteen-year-olds have won events simultaneously. It's mind-boggling that I could be covering them for two more years as juniors, and here they are winning WTA tournaments. I guess it's a partial explanation as to why I'm more interested in junior boys--there are a lot more of them playing junior tennis for a lot longer, providing an opportunity to actually have a sense of their growth and their games before they move up.