Kubler set to scale new heights after Osaka win

The 2009 Osaka Mayor's Cup may have witnessed the first and last time Jason Murray Kubler would ever grace the courts here at the Utsubo Tennis Center. For the Aussie's, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2, victory over Japan's Hiroyasu Ehara in Sunday's boys' singles final was all but confirmation of his ascension to the Junior Slams and beyond.

There is no looking back now.

Yet, on a brighter note, the city of Osaka, which had been host to the tournament in every October since 1996, can lay claim to possessing the distinction of catapulting the youngster to dizzying heights when he was still a rising junior.

For the history books would say Osaka was the launching pad where it all came together for the 16-year-old.

Make no mistake about it: This is liftoff.

Kubler's results earlier this week in Osaka were frankly impressive.

He had dropped a staggering 11 games in his four matches prior to the semifinals in which he coolly disposed of No. 9 seed Yasutaka Uchiyama in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5.

In fact, so indefatigable was Kubler's play, it was bordering absurdity by the third round when he yielded just one game against No. 5 seed Hsieh Cheng-Peng, who was ranked as high as No. 8 in the world after winning this year's Grade 1 Japan Open, not to mention being the proud owner of four Grand Slam doubles titles to date.

Then in the ensuing quarterfinals, the Aussie faced the Philippines' Jeson Patrombon, who, though unseeded, had already knocked out No. 4 Shuichi Sekiguchi and No. 15 Vaidik Munshaw in the previous two rounds.

As it turned out, Kubler was ruthlessly efficient - He dished out a double-bagel.

The degree of supremacy is not clearly comprehensible until one compares the age of the two players. Patrombon, who is a little over a month older than his Aussie counterpart, was almost as if faced with a boys-against-men type scenario in which he had no business putting his foot in.

Never had there been such anticipation of an eleventh seed competing at the Osaka Mayor's Cup. Ever since his led Australia to a come-from-behind victory in the Junior Davis Cup final to equal Rafael Nadal's impressive WJT-JDC double (and as the team's No. 1 singles player in both finals, no less), this was always going to be Kubler's tournament.

It was never about whether world No. 2 and reigning Roland Garros winner Daniel Bertha would lift his first title here in Osaka, nor was it a debate whether a local boy would win his prestigious home tournament.

No.

The name Kubler was, and is, all the rage ― and rather predictably, he turned out to be more than just hype.

Well, this week, at least.

See also: Jason Kubler matches Rafael Nadal's primo WJT-JDC double (www.tennishk.org, 5 Oct 2009)