Jonas Waelti (SUI) has won the biggest title of his junior career, holding aloft the trophy on the hallowed courts of Wimbledon as the boys’ 14&U champion. Isha Manchala (USA) has claimed the girls’ 14&U title. Manchala pipped Ukrainian Mariia Kocherzhenko in the championship tiebreak. Waelti had to go the distance as well to overcome Lyoma Hotelier of Japan.
The All England Club welcomed the 14&U players for a fifth year as the Invitational event returned to SW19. There were sixteen players in the boys’ and girls’ events, including seven Europeans in each draw.
Waelti and Hotelier had both tasted success on the Junior Tour this year. The Japanese player won Bolton (Cat.1) and Tarbes (Super Cat.), while Waelti has won two Super Category doubles events (Avvenire and Maia) while also helping steer Team Switzerland to third place at the Summer Cups.
Both finalists came through the round robin groups undefeated. Their semis matches put them in good stead for the final, as both were duly tested and extended to match tiebreaks to book their spots in the final. Waelti overcame Novak Palombo of Australia, while Hotelier prevented an all-swiss final by knocking out Raynes Park champion Noah Hornsberger.
The final was a see-sawing affair, with both players going for their shots. The match ebbed and flowed as the pair split the first two sets. It was down the championship tiebreak which went the way of the Swiss player as he claimed the match 3-6 6-1 10-6 on a Hotelier double fault.
After the match, Waelti claimed it felt “amazing, because this is my favourite surface now and it’s my first tournament on grass and I’m very happy. It’s my first time at Wimbledon and I’ve had a fantastic week. It’s amazing (to play in front of so many people) and thank you for the support this week.”
Post match, we also caught up with Waelti:
As European #1, the Ukrainian was invited to play at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, and she certainly lived up to her ranking. She signalled her intent from the outset and posted straight set wins in all her round robin matches. Going into her final round robin match, she came up against Raynes Park champion Emilia Henningsen (DEN), who was also undefeated at that point. The winner of the match would win the group and advance to the semifinals. Kocherzhenko did not flinch and ousted the #3 ranked Dane 6-4 6-3. She backed that win with a semi-final win over Eduarda Gomes (BRA). Despite the Brazilian’s resurgence in the second set and claiming back her two broken serves, Kocherzhenko held on for a 6-3 7-5 win.
She started strongly in the final and quickly went up 4-1, before Manchala brought it back to 4-4. Kocherzhenko stopped the rut, holding to love to go up 5-4. A set point came and went and at 5-5 we found ourselves. Kocherzhenko was then broken to love and that was all the impetus Inchala needed to hold serve and secure the first set 7-5. Kocherzhenko nabbed the second set 6-2 and up to 7-7 in the championship tiebreak, it was anyone’s game. At 8-7 up a let cord gave Manchala two match points. The Ukrainian saved one, but on her second offering Manchala sealed the deal with a 7-5 2-6 10-8 win.
The American was elated and post-match had this to say at the trophy presentation: “It’s an amazing feeling. I feel so accomplished right now. I’ve worked so hard for the past three months for this tournament. Mariia you’re a great player and congrats on a great week, it was such a great match to compete against you in the final and I hope we can play many more matches.”
Despite the loss, Kocherzhenko was upbeat, having had barely a week to prepare on grass and is already looking forward to the European Junior Championships in Most on her beloved clay:
Juniors
Anna Pushkareva followed the footsteps of Iga Swiatek by taking the girls’ singles title. She scored a major upset, toppling the #1 seed Xinran Sun (CHN) in the final, even fighting back from a set down to win the final 5-7 6-3 6-4. It was a great win for the 2023 Stockholm Super Category champion, who had met only one other European en route to the final in her semifinal win against Polina Skliar (UKR).
Qualifier Jordan Lee (USA) faced Cruz Hewitt (AUS) in the boys’ final. In a two-hour match that wowed the No.1 Court crowd, it was the American who bettered the son of former Champion Lleyton Hewitt. He posted a come-from-behind win, 4-6 6-4 7-5.
Europeans who fared well in the boys’ singles were semifinalists Vincent Reisach (GER) and Thijs Boogaard (NED). Oliver Page (GBR) reached the quarterfinals, as did qualifier Anna Pircher (AUT) in the girls’ singles. She was joined in the last eight by fellow Europeans Mariia Makarova and Emily Victoria Eigelsbach (GER).
Girls’ Doubles Final:
Jana Kovackova (CZE) & Katerina Zajickova (CZE) def Victoria Barros (BRA) & Nauhony Leme De Silva (BRA) 7-6(7) 6-7(5) 10-6
Boys’ Doubles Final:
Luis Guto Miguel (BRA) & Ziga Sesko (SLO) def Michael Antonius (USA) & Andrew Johnson (USA) 6-1 6-4
From Junior Tour Star to Wimbledon Champion
A stalwart of the Junior Tour, Linda Noskova had won 16 tournaments on tour, including the 2018 Tim Essonne title (14&U) as well as our flagship event the European Junior Championships in the same year. Noskova reached her maiden Slam final after a semifinal win over another Junior Tour regular Marta Kostyuk (2016 Tarbes champion and 2015 Junior Masters Runner-Up, 14&U). In the final she faced compartriot Karolina Muchova, who was playing in her second slam final. Despite saving five set points and taking that second set, Noskova was the steadier player overall, displaying nerves of steel on occasion to eke out her first Slam title with a 6-2 5-7 6-3 which will take her to a career high ranking of #7.
Jannik Sinner maintains his stranglehold on the #1 ranking. The Italian has successfully defended his Wimbledon title, posting a 100th Grand Slam match win with a 6-7(9) 7-6(2) 6-3 6-4 win over Alexander Zverev (GER).
For more from Wimbledon go to: www.wimbledon.com
More From the Junior Tour
The Category One Open Stade de Paris has got underway this weekend. Past Champions include Ksenia Efremova and Benoit Geldof. To see the full Junior Tour Calendar, click here.