BRUYNINX YOUNG CHAMPIONS CUP - Hasselt, Belgium (14 & Under)
Last week on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour saw more promising results to report for Mouratoglou Tennis Academy pupils, with Kalin Ivanovski from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia lifting his first Category 1 trophy in what is a great moment for the promising future star. Philippine Alexandra Eala imposed herself in the girls’ draws, scooping the singles-doubles sweep, alongside Laura Hietaranta of Finland in the doubles. Italians Federico Scotuzzi & Mariano Tammaro completed the list of winners in Hasselt.
It was a fantastic run for the fifth seeded Macedonian. In the quarterfinals he took out in-form visitor Piero Antonio Fernandez (CHI), who had come off an upset win over top seed Filip Pieczonka (POL). Ivanovski exacted revenge on the Chilean on behalf of his doubles partner before dismissing Tammaro in the semifinals 7-5 6-0. His opponent in the final was sixth seeded Rashed Nawaf. The Qatari upset third seeded Bulgarian Dinko Dinev in the quarters before defeating Udit Gogoi of India in the semis. Gogoi had earlier taken out second seeded Italian Niccolo Ciavarella, winner in Pavia and Maia and recent quarterfinalist in the 16 & Under Biella Category 1 event, in convincing style.
Building on her last four finish last week in Dueren, Les Petits As champion Alexandra Eala is again showing everyone just how much potential she has. The top seed was untroubled on her quest for a fourth title this year. She upped the ante match by match and as her tournament progressed, her victories were easier and faster. Her toughest test was in round three, where she was pushed by British thirteenth seed Jaquelyn Ogunwale before coming through 6-2 7-6(5). Defeating her doubles partner in the semi-finals set her up for the final, where she was in command from the outset, eventually taking the trophy over fourth seed Georgia Pedone of Italy 6-0 6-4. Pedone was herself vying for her fourth title of the year, the first outside her home nation, having previously collected titles in Brindisi, Pavia and Messina.
Eala mirrored her amazing singles form in the doubles event. Along with Hietaranta, the pair blitzed through the field, not dropping a set, living up to their top seeding. The final was the anticipated match-up against the number two seeds Yaroslava Bartashevich (RUS) & Malwina Rowinska (POL). The 6-4 6-3 victory for the top seeds capped off a fabulous week of tennis for Eala, whose doubles win/loss record on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour now stands at an incredible 39 wins, 3 losses.
After what, for them, would have been disappointing runs in the singles, Dinev & Pieczonka as a team were thwarted in the doubles final, this time by the Italian pairing of Scotuzzi & Tammaro. The unseeded Italians beat the second seeded local favourite Alexander Blockx & Marc Majdandzic (GER) in the second round. They later defeated the hot South American combination of Fernandez & Nicolas Niño (COL) 10-8 in a close championship tie break before defeating the top seeds 6-3 6-4 in the final and, deservingly, lifting the trophy.
Category 2 events
ÖTV 2018 - Zell Am See, Austria (16 & Under)
Unseeded Stefano D’Agostino (ITA) and top seed Elena Karner (AUT) were the winners at this week’s tournament in Austria. It was the Italian’s first big win of the year, upsetting third seeded Jakub Prachar (CZE) 6-3 2-6 6-4 in the final. Prachar, the top seed along with Jakub Federowicz (POL), lost to fellow Czechs Stepan Baum & Vojtech Burian 6-2 6-0 in the boys’ doubles final.
Karner’s final win was just as one-sided, defeating her compatriot Laura Pasterk 6-1 6-2 for her second title of the year. Katerina Cihakova & Julie Zytova (CZE) rounded out the list of winners by claiming the girls’ doubles.
BAVARIAN JUNIOR OPEN - Augsburg, Germany (14/16 & Under)
It was a case of double victory for Germany as well as Swiss players in the boys’ and girls’ singles events. Germans Oliver Olsson and Filip Florig were the respective 14 & Under and 16 & Under boys’ champions, while Swiss players Celine Naef and Chelsea Fontenel were the 14 & Under and 16 & Under girls’ champions.
14 & Under
Top seed Maxim Zhukov (RUS) was shocked 6-1 6-1 in round two by unseeded German Laurent Calac, who was in turn ousted by the eventual champion. Olssen met fourth seeded Filip Apltauer in the final, and in what was a marathon battle, the local player came out on top 4-6 7-6(2) 7-6(2) to notch up his second win of 2018. Apltauer was playing in an amazing fifth singles final of the year, having won in Ulm last week.
Another upset in the girls’ singles saw top seeded Russian Anastasiia Gureva sent home at the quarter final stage by Romanian Briana Szabo. The ninth seed then lost to Amelie Smejkalova (CZE), who would meet Naef in the final. The number two seed had progressed to the final thanks to a slew of clinical straight sets wins. She was stretched in the championship decider, but managed to pull off a 6-2 4-6 6-2 win to make it four from five in finals this year.
Samuel Reeve & Gregor Webster (GBR) were the boys’ doubles winners, while Smejkalova was more successful in the doubles final than the singles, taking the title with compatriot Viktorie Hazmukova.
16 & Under
Unseeded Filip Florig progressed to the final, claiming the scalps of the fourth and twelfth seeds on route. His opponent in the final was fellow German Alen Mujakic who had stunned top seeded Latvian Edvards Liepens 7-6(5) 6-1 in the semi-finals. The two unseeded locals faced off in the final, with the spoils going to Florig 7-6(4) 6-3 for his first ever Tennis Europe Junior Tour title.
Fontenel, the fourth seed, was in fantastic form, giving up just five games in her first three matches, and winning three love sets. In the semi-finals she outdid top seed Marta Belokrylova (RUS), again in straight sets, 6-4 6-2. In the final, against Serbia’s Fatma Idrizovic, Fontenel was equally overwhelming, storming home in the second set 6-4 6-1. This is now her fifth win of the year and comes off the back of her win last week in Oberentfelden, and sees her extend her win streak to 9 matches, all without losing a set.
Croats Marino Jakic & Lovro Suevich along with Anastasia Abbagnato (ITA) & Belokrylova were the boys’ and girls’ doubles champions.
For full results in all events and categories here and elsewhere from this past week, please click here, or to view the week's photo galleries, click here.