By Tennis Now Staff

(December 8, 2012) -- American Junior Taylor Townsend clinched the 2012 No. 1 girls' ranking after her quarterfinal win against the fifth seed Carol Zhao at the Orange Bowl, being contested this week in Plantation, Fla.

Both Townsend and Czech (and the event's No. 3 seed) Katerina Siniakova were vying for top junior spot entering the tournament.

Townsend, who recently announced her switched to professional status (she signed with Lagardere), lost in the subsequent round to 14-year-old Ana Konjuh; Konjuh will face Siniakova in the final.

Read: ZooTennis' Orange Bowl Coverage

(File Photo: Townsend wins the 2012 Australian Open girls' title; Credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve)