Spain has beaten France to win the Junior Davis Cup for the fifth time, while Ukraine lost a thrilling deciding tie-breaker to defending champions USA in the Junior Fed Cup finals.
The tournaments were hosted by the Hungarian Tennis Association in Budapest and are the world’s premier team competitions for players aged 16 & Under. Six European boys’ and girls’ teams qualified to take part in each event thanks to their performances at last month’s European Summer Cups final rounds, and were joined in Budapest by some of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour’s leading players from around the world.
Going into the Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas final, the French were arguably the favourites, having won the European Summer Cups competition at home in Le Touquet last month. Lilian Marmousez gave France an early lead, outlasting Mario Gonzalez Fernandez 6-1 4-6 6-2 to take the opening rubber.
The second match was equally as tough, though this time the Spaniards came out on top. European Junior Champion Carlos Alcaraz Garfia once again showed excellent composure under high pressure, coming back from the cusp of defeat and saving a match point in the second set before going on to score a 4-6 7-5 6-1 win over Harold Mayot and level the tie at one match apiece.
Both teams drafted in fresh legs for the deciding doubles, but with momentum on their side, the Spanish were not to be thwarted and Alcaraz Garfia & Pablo Llamas Ruiz breezed to a 6-2 6-3 win over Marmousez and Martin Breysach to clinch the title for a fifth time, and first since 2013.
The Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas final started promisingly for Team Ukraine, who eased to a 6-4 6-2 opening match win thanks to Lyubov Kostenko over Alexa Noel, with the USA looking to defend its title.
The second match was the blockbuster that everyone wanted to see as 14-year old Cori Gauff, the reigning Roland Garros champion and until recently the world junior #1, took on her victor at this year’s US Open, Dasha Lopatetskaya. Both students of the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, the two players know each other well and frequently produce their best tennis when playing each other. This match was no exception, and Gauff duly exacted revenge for defeat in New York last month. Having split the first two sets, the American raced away with the decider, winning all six games to set up a deciding doubles rubber.
The doubles showdown proved to be one of the highlights of the tournament as the four players returned to the court. Ukraine struck first, breaking in the twelfth game to take the first set 7-5, only to see Team USA level the match to force a deciding champions tiebreak. The dramatic climax was a fitting end to a memorable tournament, with both teams holding championship points before the Americans eventually broke through to claim an 11-9 win and deny Ukraine what would have been a maiden Junior Fed Cup title.
For full results from Budapest, click here.