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Vucic Falls in Quarterfinals; Closes
in on Top 100
 Ilija
Vucic’s impressive run in the
International Juniors de Beaulieu
sur Mer in France came to an end at
the quarterfinal stage after a tough
three-set loss to Macedonia’s Ilija
Martinoski.
Ilija, who defeated No. 7 seed
Vladimir Karusevich in the second
round and No. 10 seed Frederic de
Fays in the third, took the first
set against Martinoski before going
down 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in three hours.
“I was fighting really hard and I
was so close to winning the match,”
said Ilija. “In the third set, I was
so close to breaking him a couple of
times, but I couldn't. Then I lost
my serve a couple of times and lost
the match.”
Despite the loss, it has been a
positive week’s work on the clay for
Ilija, who will jump from his
current ranking of No. 135 to a
career-high around the Top 100 mark.
“Ilija grew up a lot this week,”
said coach David Sammel. “He is on
his way and his heart and fighting
qualities are growing. This week
will see him just in or just outside
the Top 100, which was the aim. The
Top 75 after the Italian Open is now
a real possibility which sets him up
beautifully for the grass.”
Ilija returns to Monte-Carlo next
week to prepare for the 15th
International Junior Tournament
Citta' Di Prato in Italy, which
begins on May 7.
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