Ksenia Efremova and Luis Augusto Queiroz Miguel have won the 14&U titles at Dueren, Germany. It’s Efremova’s second Super Category win of the year, adding to her win in Maia, plus the Category 1 Tim Essonne event, not to mention runner-up berths in Stockholm and at the 16&U Cat.1 in Torelló. Queiroz, from Brazil, is one of the top COSAT players currently touring around Europe, and has now won his third title of the summer on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour. | 📸 Photo Gallery
Efremova told us earlier this year that qualifying for the Junior Masters again was a goal of hers, and she went all out to make this a reality, blitzing through the field without dropping a set and conceding just 4 games in her opening 3 encounters. She swept past Barbara Kostecka (POL) 6-2 6-3 in the quarterfinal, before exacting revenge over her doubles partner and conqueror in the Stockholm final Anna Pushkareva 7-6 6-2 in the semis.
In the final she ran into a spirited Jana Kovackova, in great form coming off the back of Category 1 wins in Annecy and Roehampton. The Czech took the early initiative, going up a set and 3-2, before Efremova settled and began to reel the match back in. She dug deep and fought her way back, taking the title 3-6 6-4 6-1, returning to the upper echelons of the Race and all but securing herself a spot in Monte-Carlo.
It was a nightmare start to the tournament for the top two boys’ seeds as Samim Filiz (TUR) and Mustafa Ege Sik (TUR) were upset in round one and three respectively. Filiz mustered just two games, falling to Italian qualifier Mattia Baroni. In round three Ege Sik fell to another qualifier, Volodymyr Revenko (UKR), in a battle royale, surrendering 5-7 in the third. These losses opened up the draw, allowing other players to make their presence felt. Filip Ladman (CZE), who is himself no stranger to finals on tour in previous seasons, made it to his first final of 2023 and faced off against the Annecy champion, Queiroz Miguel. It was Ladman who struck first, claiming the opener 7-5. But the Brazilian showed his tenacity and slowly bridged the gap, levelling at 6-4. The third was more straightforward as Queiroz raced home 6-2, claiming his third tour title, having also won the 16&U Loire Vallée tournament in July.
In the doubles, there was a revenge of sorts for Kovackova over Efremova, the Czech having paired with compatriot Tereza Hermanova to eliminate Efremova & Pushkareva from the doubles in the quarterfinals. The Czech pair went on to the final where they faced Karolina Jecminkova (CZE) and Barbara Kostescka (POL) and took the match 6-3 3-6 10-6. The boys’ doubles final was won by the third seeded pairing of Eric Dylan Mueller (GER) & Artem Semenov who defeated Bulgarians Kaloyan Shikov & Aleksandar Tolev by an even tighter margin, 6-4 6-7(10) 11-9.
The tournament in Düeren has gone from strength to strength in recent years and was granted Super Category status along with a Les Petits As (Tarbes), Maia Jovem and KKDP (Stockholm). With strong social media coverage, live scores and live streaming the event received wide coverage throughout the week. A Tennis Europe Junior School session was held during the week introducing the players to topics including ‘Agents & Sponsorship’, ‘Anti-Doping’ and ‘Anti-Corruption’.
Elsewhere on the Junior Tour:
- Max Lorincik (SVK) has won his second 12&U Cat.1 title at the Pisek Cup in Czech Republic. This puts him well in contention to receive an invitation to the 12&U Festival in Mallorca in November. Adela Jelinkova (CZE) was the girls’ champ, winning her first title of the year.
- At the 14&U Cat.2 Eminent Open in Podgorica, Montenegro, Ecrin Lal Yavuz (TUR) was playing her third singles final of the year and notched up her second win. Honors in the boys’ singles went to Tymur Chukanov (UKR). It was a fantastic moment for the young player, having already been runner-up at four events already this year. Showing that perseverance and that good form pays off, he claimed his maiden title of 2023.
- A runner-up finish last week at Dukes Meadows (London) was the perfect steppingstone for Oluwajomiloju Aminu (GBR), as he garnered his first title win this year and at the 14&U age level at the Junior International Halton. His compatriot, the aptly named Daniella Britton was a debutante in a 14&U final, also lifting her first piece of silverware at this level.
- Open Stade Français and Annecy runner-up Michael Antonius (USA) won his first 14&U title at the Cat.2 Junior Bavarian Open in Augsburg, Germany. The girls’ 14&U Champ was Francesca Parcelli (GER) who also scored a maiden tournament win. In the 16&U event, Arian Hasas (GER) and Nicol Marie Jarolimkova (CZE) were also first-time winners.
- The joint 14&U (Cat.3) and 16&U (Cat.2) in Krems, Austria event saw local Niklas Maislinger win his maiden title of the year, while another Austrian Lea Haider-Maurer won her third title of 2023. The 14&U Champions were Tomas Wirgler (CZE) and Carlotta Seling (GER).
- For full results from all these events and elsewhere, go to: https://te.tournamentsoftware.com/tournaments
Coming Up:
- This weekend sees the culmination of a great week of tennis overlapping with the start of yet another big week to come. Along with the 14&U Super Category tournament in Germany, the 16/18&U Summer Cups Qualifying rounds have come to a conclusion. No time to rest for the best teams though, as the Final Rounds will be played August 7-9. Draws will be published tomorrow evening here.
- The Joint 14/16&U Baublie Jugend Cup in Renningen/Rutesheim (GER) has been a staple fixture on the TEJT for many years and is celebrating a special 25th anniversary edition, with a special social programme. Play is under way this weekend and the event will finish on 12th August. Find out more at: https://jugendcup.com/en/home/