Arturs Zagars (LAT) and Anastasija Cvetkovic (SRB) were the week’s big winners, taking home the coveted Category 1 title in Sarajevo. However, there was plenty of other action, including the Small States Championships from Luxembourg as well as much more from around Europe. Let’s have a quick look back at the week that was on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour.
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Open RCT Barcelona 1899 | 16&U Category 1
Boys: On the back of his win at the Cat.2 event in Belgium, Zagars has won his third 16&U title on the trot and third of the season. His opponent in last week’s three-set Cat.2 final, Joao Morgado (POR, Race #2) exited the tournament early, while Zagars cruised to victory without dropping a set all week. In the final, he beat Race #7 Jan Smrcka (GER) in convincing fashion 6-0 6-3. His string of victories will certainly consolidate his top 3 spot in the Race to Monte-Carlo.
Girls: Cvetkovic faced Carla Vázquez (ESP) in the Final. The Spaniard had earlier upset top seed and Race leader Lana Virc (SRB) in a straight sets QF win. With a break in each set, Cvetkovic beat Vázquez 6-3 6-4 to claim a fourth title of 2023.
Doubles: Honours in the boys’ event went to Smrcka and compatriot Tim Kohl, while the girls’ doubles title was won by the Czech pairing of Nikol Marie Jarolimkova and Jana Kovackova, both winning their third doubles titles of the year, and first together.
Originally launched 27 years ago by Real Club de Tenis Barcelona and the Barcelona City Council following the 1990s Balkan wars, this event was a way to help collaborate in the reconstruction of Sarajevo and to promote the reintegration of children into sports. Top names to have participated in this tournament include Daniil Medvedev and Marin Cilic.
Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
TE/ITF Small States Championships | 14&U Category 2 | 📸 Photo Gallery
With seven (Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, San Marino) of the nine eligible nations participating, the tournament was a resounding success. Hosted by the Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Tennis, players enjoyed a three-day training camp before the tournament kicked off, as well as off-court activities such as city tours, a theme park visit and a barbecue on the last day.
Local Olf Zielinski beat Pavle Vukosavljevic of Montenegro in the boy’s final 7-6(7) 6-4. The girls’ winner remained calm and steady in the face of a barrage of big-hitting from the home favourite in the final. Emilia Eyva Thygesen of Iceland fought back from a 1-6 1-4 deficit to outplay Zoé-Cheyenne Heins 1-6 7-5 6-2.
Zielinski was elated after his win, “I saved a set point in the tiebreak .. and now I am the champion of the Small States, so I am very happy!” Thygesen echoed these sentiments, “she was winning and then went down a little and I just kept on believing… it’s my first Tennis Europe tournament win, and I’m still 12, so I’m really happy!”
Team Montenegro picked up the boys’ doubles title (Pavle Vukosavljevic & Luka Lukovic) while it was another win for Iceland in the girls’ doubles (Garima Nitinkumar Kalugade & Thygesen). Finishing off the tournament in the great spirit that was shown all week, Montenegro (Pavle Vukosavljevic & Nastasija Delic) won the Mixed Doubles exhibition event.
Elsewhere on the #TEJT:
- Krakow, Poland: 12&U Cat 1 - Adam Taha (SVK) and Sofia Bielinska (UKR) were the winners. Bielinska has won a fourth title of the year, with Taha picking up a second win and his first Cat.1 of 2023 which will help his ambitions for a spot in Mallorca at the 12&U Festival.
- Klosters, Switzerland: with live streaming coming all week from the Swiss tennis hub, it was local Alessandro Hunziker who took the 14&U Cat.2 title. German Aurelia Lohrer was the girls’ champion.
- Koblenz, Germany: a joint 12/14&U event saw some well-known names go home with trophies. 14&U Cat.2 champs were Hollie Smart (GBR) and Vincent Jakob Reisach (GER), with Smart adding a maiden 14&U title to her pair of 16&U titles while Reisach won a second title from three finals. The 12&U Cat.1 champs were Melker Anderson (SWE), who picks up title number two of 2023, and Darina Matvejeva (LAT) won her fourth singles title of the year.
- Alicante, Spain: Adding to his Cat.3 Madrid win, Julio Zarate Fernandez (ESP) took the Cat.2 title in La Nucia at the 14&U David Ferrer Tennis Europe. Ida Wobker (GER) added a second 14&U title to her two 16&U titles already won so far in 2023.
For full results from last week on the Tour click here, and don’t forget that you can follow all the latest draws, results, news and live streaming/scoring on the Junior Tour app, available free-of-charge for Apple and Android users.