Tennis Europe Junior Tour

Russian players continue good form in Stockholm

Russian players continue good form in Stockholm

Russian players were in dominant form on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour this week. The most prestigious event played was the historic Kungens Kanna & Drottningens Pris in Stockholm, a Category 1 tournament that this year celebrated its 65th edition. As always, the event attracted a high quality field, with many of Europe’s top players in action for matches that were streamed live over the internet to fans from all over the world.

The strength of the current crop of Russian youngsters was once again underlined by their performances in Stockholm, with the nation accounting for three of the four titles won. The boys’ singles final was a battle between two of Europe’s top four players, as current #1 Alen Avidzba took on Russian compatriot Nikolay Vylegzhanin. In their last event, the two players teamed up to lead Russia to the Winter Cups by HEAD final, but they were able to set aside their friendship for a while during a tough battle for the title. Avidzba won the first set 6-4 before Vylegzhanin recovered to win the next two 6-3 6-4 and claim his first Category 1 title. In doing so, he leveled the head-to-head record with his team-mate at 2-2.

Avidzba also reached the doubles final alongside Alexey Zakharov, but the pair was beaten by the only non-Russian winners, Tomasz Dudek (POL) & Leonid Sheyngezikht (BUL).

The girls’ final also featured two Russian members of the Top 10, with #2 Olesya Pervushina facing Anastasia Potapova. Having already teamed up to win the doubles over Georgia Drummy (IRL) & Simona Waltert (SUI), the stage was set for a showdown between two of the most prolific players on Tour, having combined to win 13 Tennis Europe Junior Tour singles titles across three age groups in the last year.

Potapova started strongly, breaking twice to claim the first set 6-2. Pervushina has played some big matches recently though and did not panic, raising her game to bring the match back to a set all before going on to wrest the title from her younger opponent, 6-3 6-3.

You can see a photo gallery from the Kungens Kanna & Drottningens Pris here.

In terms of player numbers, the week’s biggest event was the Focus Tennis Academy Open in Rotterdam (NED), a Category 3 event for both 14 and 16 & Under players.

Third seed Maxim Verboven of Belgium enjoyed a breakthrough tournament in the Boys 14 & Under event, winning his first Tour title with a come-from-behind 3-6 6-2 6-3 win over Switzerland’s Henry von der Schulenberg, dropping his only set of the week.

Spanish top seed Carlota Molina Megias also had an impressive week, winning back-to-back matches by a 6-0 6-0 score line in her opening matches before going on to reach the final without conceding a set. She was pushed hard by France’s Joanna Lesage in the final but held on to score a 6-3 5-7 6-4 win. Molina Megias has now won three of her last five events on the Tour (also reaching the final of one of the others), and looks set to consolidate her Top 20 ranking next week.

Ten different nations were represented in the Boys’ 16 & under draw, but the only two Italians emerged to face each other in the final as fourth seed Giovanni Fonio took on qualifier Giovanni Calvano. Both players were in great form, having reached the title decider without dropping a set, but it was Calvano who will likely be making the biggest move in next week’s rankings update after scoring his seventh win in as many days (7-5 6-4) to secure his first Tennis Europe Junior Tour title.

Suzan Lamens was the only home player to win a singles title. Having beaten two seeds on her to the final, she survived a second set fightback from Poland’s Marcelina Podlinska to win 6-3 4-6 7-6(5) and wrap up a second title in two weeks, having won the doubles in Zoetermeer last week.

Dutch players did particularly well in the doubles, scooping three of the four titles. On the boys’ side, Alexander Maarten Jong & Sidane Pontjodikromo beat compatriots Jesper de Jong & Mike Diks for the 14 & Under title, while Koen Schuurmans & Sam van Dijk reapeted the feat in the 16 & Under event against Thorsten Sollie & Patrick Speelman.

Russian pair Irina Babkova & Taisya Pachkaleva came from a set down to beat unseeded home players Daevinia Achong & Stephanie Visscher 3-6 6-4 10-5 for the Girls 14 & Under crown. The girls’ 16 & Under doubles saw Suzie Lamens return to the winner’s circle, teaming with Annamarie Sovic to beat Rebecca Keijzerwaard & Sem Wensveen 6-2 6-2.

You can see a photo gallery from the Focus Tennis Academy Open here.

The Category 2 14 & Under Togliatti Cup in Russia was completely dominated by home players, who accounted for all winners and finalists. Ilya Chubko was arguably the most successful of all, having reached the boys’ singles and doubles finals, but he will be disappointed to have lost both title matches. Fourth seed Egor Noskin took the boy’s title with a 7-6(3) 6-2 win over Chubko, who later teamed up with Ivan Ponomarenko against top seeds Rail Ibragimov & Timofey Skatov in the doubles final, which the top seeds won 6-4 7-6(2).

The girls’ final was a battle between two unseeded players as Anna Titova took on Daria Afansyeva. Titova had already ended the hopes of the second and third seeds while Afanasyeva had beaten top seed Polina Krupchenko. The final proved to be Titova’s fifth consecutive straight sets win, a 6-3 6-3 victory that secured her first Tennis Europe Junior Tour title. Krupchenko made it through to the doubles final, where she teamed up with Kamilla Rakhimova for a 7-6(4) 7-6(9) win over Ekaterina Makarova & Aleksandra Vorozheykina.

This week the Tennis Europe Junior Tour rolls on, highlighted by the Category 1 14 & Under ‘Time Essonne’ event at Ste. Genevieve des Bois in France, plus 16 & Under events in Taverne (SUI), Nastola (FIN) and Milovice (CZE).

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