The Category 1 BNP Paribas Cup in Paris once again proved to be one of the toughest 14 & Under events on the calendar, with 9 of the top 10 boys and 6 of the top 10 girls present, as well as many of the best players from around the world, visiting as part of their ITF Touring Teams. European #1 Andrey Rublev improved on his impressive record at the toughest events this season. Having reached a total of five Category 1 finals so far, the Russian racked up his fourth title of the year with a hard-fought 7-6(4) 6-7(5) 6-4 win over fifth seed Jumpei Yamasaki of Japan that will strengthen his position at the top of the rankings. A day earlier, Rublev teamed with compatriot Roman Safiullin to snatch victory from Bogdan Borza & Nicolae Frunza, the Romanian pair instrumental in their country’s success at the Copa del Sol last week, 7-6(3) 4-6 (10-7).
The girls tournament proved to be a landmark event for Anastasiya Rychagova, who won her second category 1 event of the season. The Russian came back from the loss of the first set to outlast Ivana Jorovic (SRB) 5-7 6-3 7-6(6) in the final. Rychagova also had success in the doubles, where in the semi finals she and partner Fatima Bizhukova ended the 32-match doubles win streak of Anastasiya Komardina, with whom Rychagova has won four titles this season. In the final, Ivana Jorovic got a taste of revenge for a loss to Komardina & Rychagova at the Summer Cups final the previous week, teaming with Ana Konjuh (CRO) to take the title 7-5 6-4.
Socrates Tsoronis has had a good couple of weeks in Netherlands, adding to his Amsterdam title last week with a victory at the Category 3 Meppel Storks Cup. The unseeded Australian beat local player Guy den Heijer 6-3 6-7(3) 6-4 to extend his career Tennis Europe Junior Tour record to 11 matches played, 11 matches won. Belgian pair Tom Beernaert & Laurens Verboven beat top seeded Finns Patrik Niklas Salminen & Eero Vasa to win the doubles. The girls’ title went to Daria Kruzhkova (RUS). Playing in her second final of the season, she claimed her first title with a 3-6 6-4 6-3 win over Kimberley van Rijn (NED). Esmee Middel & Tessa van der Ploeg (NED) rode their luck to take the girls doubles title when both their semi final and final opponents withdrew.
At the 12th Babolat Cup in Tallinn, Estonia, top seeded home favourite Christopher Klettenberg won his third title of the year, with a 7-5 6-3 win over Poland’s Robert Wrzesinski. The girls’ final was an all-Russian battle and saw second seed Aleksandra Vostrikova win her second title of the season with a straight sets upset of Alina Semashko in the final.
A few weeks ago, brothers Kristofer and Mattias Siimar won the doubles title in Nastola. In Tallinn, the Estonian pair faced each other in the final and it was second seeded Kristofer who came away with the trophy alongside partner Lukas Zvikas (LTU) after they beat Mattias and American partner Daniel Soyfer 6-4 6-2. There was further Estonian success in the girls’ doubles, with a win for Birgit Burk & Jana Kuzovkova.
British players led the way at the AEGON Junior International in Edinburgh, where Vincent Gillespie won his first Tour title with a win over compatriot Luke Oakley. Gillespie has reached the final of two of the three events he has played on the Tour this season, and also won the doubles with Daniel Little. Edinburgh resident Millie Stretton made the most of the home support to upset top seed Ceire Mullins to win the girls’ event, while unseeded pair Georgina Axon & Olivia Tomkins won the doubles.
The VLTC Kettle Chips event in Corradino, Malta saw two first time winners. Top seed Andreas Aravis (CYP) took the boys’ title with a win over Julian Ocleppo (ITA) and Russia’s Evgeniya Sedunova fought back to beat Maria Siopacha (CYP) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-4 for the girls’ crown. Siopacha teamed up with fellow Cypriot Andria Tsaggaridou to win the doubles, while Isa Mammetgulyev of Turkmenistan and Australian partner Damon Roberts claimed the boys’ doubles.
16 & Under
At the Marianske Lazne 16 & Under event in the Czech Republic, 114th-ranked home hope Jaroslav Vondrasek won his first Tennis Europe Junior Tour title with a 6-3 6-4 win over Germany’s Tim Willmann. Vondrasek also added the doubles title for good measure, alongside Slovak partner Matej Selecky. In the girls event, 12th seed Maria Bouzkova won her second title on the Tour, the 13 year old Czech upsetting Maria Novikova of Russia 6-3 6-1. The doubles title went to top seeds Ivona Brozova & Anna Vrbenska (CZE).
The Haskovo Cup in Bulgaria saw top seed Constantinos Ioannides become the third Cypriot player to win a Tour singles title in 2011, as opponent Jan Choinski (GER) retired while trailing 6-3 3-0. Slovakian Viktoria Kuzmova lost just four games as she beat Madalina Grigoriu (ROU) for her second title of the year. Bulgarian pairs won both doubles titles, with Gabriel Donev & Lubomir Leshtanski and Daniela Kabakova & Gebriela Mihaylova coming away with the trophies.
12 & Under
The 12 & Under circuit was particularly busy last week, with a total of 6 tournaments played. The 3rd Novotech Trophy in Rakovnik (CZE) saw great successes for Turkish players, with Ergi Kirkin beating Jurij Rodionov (BLR) for the boys’ title and Inci Ogut oust Marija Elenova (MKD) for the girls’. Kirkin also teamed up with Andrej Jokic (BIH) to win the doubles event, while Czech pair Sabina Drabkova & Sara Vancurova claimed the girls’ doubles title. The event had been preceded by the ITF/Tennis Europe 12 & Under Development Championships, which gave opportunities for players from ten less-developed nations to train together and play matches before moving on to the regular Tour event, and clearly proved to be useful for the Turkish players in particular. Photos.
At the Sport Palace Cup in Sofia (BUL), Romania’s Edris Fetisleam won his third title of the season. In a repeat of the Pitesti final in May, he beat compatriot Gabi Adrian Boitan in straight sets and just as in Pitesti, the pair also teamed up to win the doubles. Valeriya Yushchenko (RUS) beat Tayisiya Andryeyeva (UKR) for the girls’ crown, while Alexandra Dubrovina (RUS) & Lily Reynolds (GBR) beat Andryeyeva and sister Oleksandra for the doubles title.
Croatian players swept the board at the Krka Sun Mix Cup in Otocec (SLO). Karlo Divkovic came back from the brink of defeat to end Miomir Kecmanovic’s hopes of winning a fifth title of 2011 with a 1-6 7-5 6-3 win over the Serb. In the girls’ event, Lea Boskovic blasted past Lian Benedejcic (SLO) for the loss of just one game. Both singles winners also won their doubles events, Divkovic teaming with Renzo Paro and Boskovic with Ana Biskic.
The Pecs 2000 Cup in Hungary saw a first 12 & Under title for Luca Ben Herrmann of Israel, who ended the hopes of home player Bence Tamas 6-0 7-5 in the final. Tamas also reached the doubles final with Fabian Marozsan, but lost to Russians Pavel Karpushkin & Egor Lisitsyn. The girls’ event saw a 5th title of the year for Romania’s Andreea Amalia Rosca. She was made to work hard for victory, surviving the loss of a second set tie break to win 6-3 6-7(4) 6-2 over Russia’s Anjelika Vlasenkova. Rosca also teamed with compatriot Ioana Guna to win their second consecutive title together.
Spectators at the Wahlstedt Junior Future event in Germany could have been forgiven for thinking that they were at the Canadian national championships, with players from the country dominating all four events. Benjamin Sigouin won the boys singles, beating compatriot Victor Krustev 6-3 6-4. The pair returned to court the next day to win the doubles title together. Meanwhile, the girls’ singles also featured an all-Canadian final as Vanessa Wong beat Katherine Sebov 6-2 7-5. Sebov was also part of the victorious doubles team alongside Charlotte Robillard-Millette.
The 29th Euro Trophy in Porto San Giorgio saw a battle between two of the most successful players of the season so far on the 12 & Under Tour in the boys final. Between them, Artem Dubrivnyy (RUS) and Alexei Popyrin (AUS) had won 38 matches, 4 singles and 5 doubles events prior to this week, so it was no surprise to see them contest the final. The deciding match turned out to be the longest final played on the 12 & Under Tour this season, with Popyrin eventually triumphing after 35 games, and a 22-point final set tie break 6-3 6-7(3) 7-6(10). Amazingly, Popyrin still had energy to return to the court with compatriot Chase Ferguson to add the doubles title – their third of the season - coming from behind to beat Italians Lorenzo Battista & Samuele Ramazzotti 3-6 6-3 (10-7).
The girls’ was won by another of the stars of the season, Arianna Capogrosso, who swept to her fourth title of the year without losing a set; including a 6-4 6-2 win over fellow Italian Rosanna Maffei in the final. Capogrosso also reached the doubles final with Giulia Turconi, but lost out to Polina Golubovskaya (RUS) & Camilla Rizza (ITA).
You can keep up with all the latest draws and results from the Tennis Europe Junior Tour here.