Double success for Romania's Mergea

Florin Mergea of Romania followed in Roger Federer's junior Grand Slam footsteps here yesterday by winning the boys' singles title. On a day of double success for Mergea, the 18-year-old No 8 seed claimed the trophy won by Federer in 1998 by beating Chris Guccione of Australia, seeded No 6, in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6.

That victory was concluded at 2.23pm. By 6.03pm, Mergea was a double winner and Guccione was a double nearly-man after Mergea and his compatriot Horia Tecau, the seed No1, had seen off Guccione and compatriot Adam Feeney in the final of the boys' doubles, 7-6, 7-5.

The girls' doubles was won yesterday by Alisa Kleybanova and Sania Mirza of India, who came from a set down to beat Katerina Bohmova, of the Czech Republic, and Michaella Krajicek - the sister of the former men's champion, Richard - in straight sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Success at junior level brings no guarantees of senior glory. Belgium will have high hopes that it has another big-time player in the making, however, after the 17-year-old Kirsten Flipkens beat Anna Tchakvetadze of Russia, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, to take the girls' singles title.

The unseeded Flipkens only progressed to yesterday's final after a dramatic semi-final win, 2-6, 6-4, 10-8, over the No 4 seed, Jarmila Gajdosova of Slovakia, on Court One on Saturday. The latter stages of that match produced more noise from a near-capacity crowd than the women's singles final being contested at the same time on Centre Court between Serena and Venus Williams.

In attendance at the girls' semi-final were Belgium's Kim Clijsters and her boyfriend, Lleyton Hewitt, both giving vociferous support to Flipkens. Clijsters was unable to attend Flipkens's final success because she was elsewhere winning the women's doubles.

Russia have selected all their leading players for this month's Fed Cup quarter-final against Slovenia. Shamil Tarpishchev, Russia's Davis Cup and Fed Cup captain, named Anastasia Myskina, Elena Dementieva, Vera Zvonareva and Elena Bovina for the tie in Portoroz on 19-20 July. Myskina, Dementieva and Zvonareva all ranked in the world's top 20, reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.