Slovakia’s Lukas Lorincik and Bulgaria’s Nia Sinchanova claimed the titles at the inaugural Les Petits As – Europe Playoffs Wilson, held from 28 September to 2 October at Tennis Club Max Pro in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
The new event was organised in cooperation with Tennis Europe, the Bulgarian Tennis Federation, Top Five Management, the French Tennis Federation, and Les Petits As, providing Europe’s developing tennis nations with a new pathway for their players to compete at one of the world’s most prestigious 14 & Under tournaments.
A total of 32 players from nine nations took part in the Category 2 Tennis Europe Junior Tour event. The boys’ and girls’ competitions each featured 16 players, beginning with four round-robin groups before progressing to the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.
In the boys’ singles final, Lorincik produced an impressive performance to defeat home player Ivelin Vasilev 6-1 6-0. The Slovak player had advanced to the final with a 6-1 6-0 semifinal victory over Bulgaria’s Maksim Tabakov, while Vasilev defeated compatriot Mikael Ivanov 6-3 7-5.
The girls’ singles trophy remains in Bulgaria, with Sinchanova overcoming Cyprus’ Maria Skhodnova 6-3 6-4 in the final. Sinchanova booked her place in the championship match by defeating Slovakia’s Paulina Demeterova 6-1 7-6, while Skhodnova came through a three-set semifinal against Serbia’s Visnja Mitic, winning 6-2 5-7 6-1.
Alongside their trophies, Lorincik and Sinchanova earned the event’s biggest prize: an ‘Organiser Acceptance’ position in the main draw of Les Petits As in Tarbes in January 2027.
First staged in 1983, Les Petits As has become one of the leading international events for 14 & Under players. Former participants include Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Martina Hingis, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters.
The European Playoffs were introduced in 2026 as part of the Tennis Europe Development Programme, complementing similar pathways already established in the United States, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Tennis Europe Development Coordinator Borislav Stoyanov, who attended the event in Plovdiv, highlighted the long-term value of the new initiative; “It was a pleasure to be on site for the first edition of the Les Petits As – Europe Playoffs Wilson. This event represents a great opportunity for players from our emerging tennis nations to compete internationally and seize their chance to play on one of the biggest stages in junior tennis. We believe this initiative has significant potential for the future and can become an important part of the development pathway for young European players.”
Full draws and results can be found here.