Tennis Europe Junior Tour

Record success for Spain at the Tennis Europe Junior Masters

Record success for Spain at the Tennis Europe Junior Masters

Spain dominated the 2012 Tennis Europe Junior Masters, winning three of the four categories at the season-ending elite event; the first nation ever to do so.

Eduard Guell Bartina was the first of the three to take to the court, for the boys 14 & Under final and was in dominant mood as he brushed aside the challenge of Switzerland’s Marko Osmakcic 6-3 6-1. Guell won the title without having lost a set, and adds his name to an impressive list of his compatriots to hold the 14&U Junior Masters title, a list that includes Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo.

He said, “I’m very happy because when I came here I didn’t expect to win the tournament. I’ve had an abdominal injury for the last couple of weeks. In the first match I played ok, but in the second I felt very comfortable, then today I played great. Marko and I have played five or six times and I’d only won once, so I am happy to win with such a score.”

Sara Sorribes Tormo then took to the court for the 16 & Under girls final, against Race to Masters rankings leader Iryna Shymanovich (BLR). There was little to choose between the two players in the early stages of the match, with Sorribes eventually breaking in in the twelfth game to take the first set 7-5. Shymanovich, who had survived a three and a half hour semi final against Kateryna Sliusar (UKR) the previous day, was unable to summon the same energy in the second set, conceding two breaks to lose 6-2.

European champion Sorribes therefore becomes the first girl to win both of Tennis Europe’s premier competitions in the same year since Monica Niculescu in 2002, and was naturally satisfied with her performance, saying “It’s great to have won, and to end the year on a high note, with another of my objectives achieved”.

The final match of the day saw Jaume Munar Clar take on Daniel Orlita of the Czech Republic for the boys 16 & Under title. Both had had similar paths to the final; Munar having to recover from a 4-1 deficit in the final set of his first round match with Petar Conkic (SRB), and Orlita going the distance against second seed Olexiy Kolisnyk (UKR) in a hotly contested semi-final. If Munar was feeling pressure to emulate his compatriots it didn´t show, finding his range during the latter stages of the first set to reel off nine of the last ten games for a comfortable 6-3 6-0 win. He said, “Despite the score it was a tough match, but I played really well in the second set. On the whole I’m very pleased with my performance this week, having played my best in all my matches.”

The day’s first match was a battle between two of the players to have won most titles this season, with Dalma Galfi of Hungary attempting to win her sixth against Anna Klainskaya (RUS), who was aiming to win her eighth.

The pair had contrasting paths to the final. Galfi had won her previous matches, against Marija Curnic (CRO) and Tereza Mihailikova (SVK), in straight sets, while her Russian opponent had been involved in some of the longest matches of the tournament, overcoming Andreea Rosca (ROU) 4-6 6-3 7-5 in the first round and edging past compatriot Anna Blinkova 6-7(5) 6-0 6-4 in a late match on Saturday.

Kalinskaya started brightly, racing to a 5-1 lead in the first set before Galfi began to find her range, reeling off six games in a row to take the set 7-5. Kalinskaya hit back strongly, conceding just two games in the second set to level the match. The final set saw some brutally long rallies, but Galfi held on to an early break to become the first Hungarian girl ever to claim a Junior Masters title. "I'm very happy to win the title", she said, "It is one of the best tournaments, and so that was my goal when I came here."

The tournament was a huge success for Hungary, with four players qualifying for the event for the first time. Akos Kotorman finished eighth in the boys 14 & Under event, while Mate Valkusz and Anna Bondar joined Galfi on the podium by taking third place in the Boys 14 & Under and Girls 16 & Under events respectively.

It is worth noting that the final result for Spain could have been even more impressive, as a fourth qualifier, Julia Payola, was forced to withdraw from the Girls 14 & Under on the eve of the tournament. With the next qualifiers unable to  travel at such short notice, organisers were able to make a late invitation to local player Irene Lavino to complete the draw; a great experience for the Italian #10, who received warm support from the fans and staff of her home club.

The final day's action was followed by a light-hearted closing ceremony, at which all of the players received gifts from the host club, CT Rocco Polimeni.

Photos | Draws (pdf) 

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