Mum`s death acts as catalyst for Wickmayer`s Open run

New York: A nine-year Yanina Wickmayer only picked up a tennis racket as she needed some time out from her dying mother`s battle with cancer.

Ten years on and the Belgian teenager has provided one of the most uplifting tales at Flushing Meadows when she surged past Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko 7-5, 6-4 in the last eight. In a US Open already enthralled with the stories of comeback mum Kim Clijsters and American wunderkind Melanie Oudin, Wickmayer threw her name into the mix on Wednesday by storming to her first grand slam semi-final. It was a scenario a grieving Wickmayer could not even have imagined in her wildest dreams when she relocated with her father Marc to Florida to get "my mind off things." "My mom was sick when I was six or seven. She was treated at home and I was with her all the time. I lost her in `99, and I just started playing tennis a few weeks or a few months before that just to get my mind off things," said Wickmayer. "I just decided as a little girl to get away from home and put my memories and thoughts to something else, so we moved to Florida, my dad and me, just to focus on other things in life.” "It`s been a really tough time for me but if I see now it`s been one of the best decisions I`ve ever made." The 2-1/2-year training at the Saddlebrook academy, which started with sign language because she could not speak any English, was laid out bare for all to see at Flushing Meadows. Wickmayer was a point away from going 5-1 down in the second set but after hurling her racket to the ground and bashing a ball to the far end of the Arthur Ashe court in disgust, she calmed down to stave off break point. Pummelling winners from both flanks, the world number 50 was soon on a roll and flattened Bondarenko by winning five straight games and sealed victory when the Ukrainian netted a forehand. Immediately after the win, her thoughts turned to the one person who believed in her 100 percent. "My dad was just was a normal guy in Belgium. He had friends, he had family, he had cars, he had our house," explained Wickmayer. "He just gave up his whole life for me. He just left. He listened to a girl that was nine years old and left his life, left his dreams. So I`m always going to respect him for that. He`s just a great guy." Older in Head Marc Wickmayer may have sacrificed his life, including his construction business, in Belgium to help his daughter heal her broken heart, but he was the one sitting proudly in the stands on Wednesday. "The place I am right now, the moments I live every day, it wouldn`t be if he wasn`t there. He`s the only person that has always stood next to me, even in the bad and the good moments," said the 19-year-old. "I hope with my semis here this week I can show him that I really thank him for everything he`s done." Wickmayer`s heart-tugging journey has been especially remarkable because until this week, she had never progressed beyond the second round of any grand slam. She credited the breakthrough to her fighting spirit. "Even today when I`m almost 5-1 down, I just keep hanging there and... I`m someone that never gives up.” "I know what life is, and maybe I`m older in my head than some people think. Sometimes it`s not easy for me, because sometimes I wish I could be a girl from 19 and just enjoy... But I guess that`s life. It has given me a lot, it has taken away a lot from me but I just found a way to live with it." While her story may be reminiscent to that of fellow Belgian Justine Henin, who also lost her mother at a young age before going on to become world number one, Wickmayer has another countrywoman in her sights. If she wins the all-teen semi-final against either Oudin or Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki, a possible final against Clijsters could be on the horizon. "Let`s all hope we can meet each other in the final," grinned Wickmayer. Bureau Report