This year’s ITF/Tennis Europe 16 & Under Team has recently completed a 5-week tour of Italy. The Tour began on 23rd May with a training camp held at the Vavassory Academy in Palazzolo, where the team of 6 girls – Iryna Shymanovich (BLR), Kateryna Sliusar (UKR), Aliona Bolsova (MDA), Greta Kerezaite (LTU), Vivian Zlatanova (BUL), Erika Hendsel (EST) – and four boys – Petros Chrysochos (CYP), Aleksandar Lebedyn (UKR), Aleksandre Bakshi (GEO), Kenneth Raisma (EST) – practised together for four days. The training camp gave the opportunity for the players and their coaches Irena Chichmarova (BLR) and Goran Shevchenko (MKD) to get to know each other before competing at four of the top Tennis Europe Junior Tour events of the summer, kicking off at the Category 1 Foligno event before moving on to other Italian tournaments in Montecatini, Avvenire/Milan and Crema.
At the first tournament the players showed their potential for great success on the Tour. Aleksander Lebedyn reached his first final and unfortunately was upset by the ITF/COSAT team member Francisco Bahamonde (ARG) 6-2 6-7(3) 6-3. Kateryna Sliusar also reached the final and won the first set 6-1 before going down 4-6 3-6 against Italian Georgia Brescia. In the singles event, Aliona Bolsova and Erika Hendsel also showed a high level of performance by reaching the semis. The positive start to the Tour also extended to the doubles. Petros Chrysochos & Aleksander Lebedyn reached the boys’ final, losing to Italians Sasha Merzetti & Andrea Pellegrino 2-6 6-3 10-3, while in the girls’ event Aliona Bolsova & Iryna Shymanovich also reached the final, losing 2-6 6-4 10-6 to Verena Meliss (ITA) and Katharina Hobgarski (GER).
The team then continued to the Category 1 tournament in Montecatini where the results were even better. In boys singles event, Petros Chrysochos showed that he had improved in just two weeks and with great tennis beat Foligno winner Bahamonde 6-0 6-0 in the semis before going on to win the final against Jaume Antoni Munar Clar (ESP) 6-4 4-6 6-4. The girls’ singles final was a long and high quality match between two members of ITF/Tennis Europe Team, with Aliona Bolsova eventually outlasting Iryna Schymanovich 6-3 3-6 7-6(5). Chrysochos & Lebedyn went on to add the doubles title, beating the Spanish pair Sergio Castellon Duasch & Oscar Mesquida Berg 6-3 6-1.
After the great peformance the team moved in Milan for the prestigious Avvenire tournament. This time Chrysochos fell in the semi-final to eventual champion Filippo Baldi (ITA) after holding a set and a break lead. Lebedyn also reached singles semi-final but was beaten by Lautaro Pane (ARG) 6-1 6-1. In the girls singles Iryna Shymanovich showed that was ready for her first title of the 4-week tour, comprehensively beating Hungary’s Anna Bondar 6-1 6-3 in the final. The good results continued in the doubles; Chrysochos & Lebedyn once again paired up well, beating their team mate Aleksandre Bakshi (GEO) & Riccardo Chessari (ITA) 6-3 6-2 in the semifinals before going on to win a very dramatic final against Bahamonde & Baldi 3-6 6-3 10-8. In the girls doubles Bolsova & Shymanovich showed improvement since Foligno and won their first title against teammate Vivian Zlatanova and her partner Aleksandra Prospelova (RUS) 6-4 3-6 10-6.
The last tournament on the Tour was in Crema, where the Team celebrated its best results – acconting for both finalists in 3 out of 4 events. In singles all 3 boys showed improved and high level tennis; Aleksandre Bakshi reached the quarter final, falling in a high quality match to teammate Lebedyn 2-6 7-5 6-1. Also in the semis, Petros Chrysochos showed once again why he is one of the most highly-rated players on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour at the moment, again beating the Argentinean #1 Francisco Bahamonde 3-6 6-4 6-2. Lebedyn met Lautaro Pane (ARG) for a third time and showed that his loss in Milano was just a bad day, winning 6-2 6-1. Doubles partners Lebedyn & Chrysochos therefore had to face off in the singles final. Knowing each other’s games well, the final was a long battle. After many changeovers and having saved one match point, the Cypriot eventually secured his second title of the Tour, winning 4-6 6-4 7-5. The girls’ singles event also highlighted the ITF/Tennis Europe players - Iryna Shymanovich reached her third final, beating Vivian Zlatanova (BUL) in the semis 6-4 5-7 6-2, while Aliona Bolsova reached her second final, outlasting Italy’s Verena Hofer 6-1 2-6 6-2. The two girls repeated the final from Montecatini, but this time Shymanovich won comfortably 6-2 6-2. In the doubles event, Chrysochos & Lebedyn won their third title against the ITF/COSAT team members Osni Junior (BRA) & Luis Valero (COL) 6-4 2-6 11-9, while in the girls event the singles finalist Bolsova & Shymanovich won their 2nd title, beating teammates Kateryna Sliusar and Vivian Zlatanova 4-6 7-6(8) 10-1.
The team coaches, Goran Shevchenko and Irina Chichmarova were delighted with the players’ team spirit, daily hard work and the great results achieved. The Tour provided an opportunity for these players to compete at some of the best events in the world for 16 & Under players. Aside from the practice, the high level of tennis and the possibilty to create lasting friendships with players from around the world will surely help in their future tennis careers.