Southern California may get more noticed as the place for junior tennis champions, but Northern California has Elizabeth Plotkin. The Russian-born San Francisco native has come of age and at the U.S. Open she let the tennis world see it.
There hasn't been a time in the last four years when Elizabeth Plotkin wasn't a top-ranked player, but the fall of 2004 was certainly the start of a higher level of tennis for her. Though she lost in the Qualifying of the U.S. Open Junior Championships, she went on to win the doubles (with constant partner Jennifer-Lee Heiser) at the Chanda Rubins in Tulsa and South Carolina, as well as the singles at the latter event. Just a few weeks later Elizabeth was in Mexico were she made the singles semis and doubles finals at the XVII Copa Mundial Yucatan.
Elizabeth Plotkin continued to finish at the top of numerous tournaments for the remainder of 2004 and throughout 2005 (including the quarters at Wimbledon), concentrating on ITFs. In August of this year she and Jennifer-Lee took third place at the Girls' 18 USTA Nationals
Even though it was doubles where Elizabeth thought she would make her mark at the Junior Open, it was singles were she actually did. She and Jennifer-Lee (seeded sixth) were upset in the first round of doubles, while Elizabeth went on to the quarterfinals in singles. Among her conquests on that terrific run was the No. 2 seed, Agnieszka Radwanksa of Poland. It looked as though she might even make it to the semis for awhile, but she fell to Nina Henkel of Germany, 7-5,7-5.
Elizabeth and I spoke after her loss at the Open.
by Marcia Frost