The European Summer Cups team competitions for players aged 16 and 18 & Under got underway last week, with qualifying taking place at 16 European venues. Eight teams in each age group have advanced to the final rounds, which begin on Monday 1st August (except for the 18 & Under girls, who play at the end of September). The 16 & Under competition also serves as the European qualifying for the Junior Davis and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas. You can keep up with all the latest draws and information here throughout the coming days.
The most prestigious regular Tour event of last week was the Category 1 14 & Under Junior Tennis Cup in Cologne, Germany, which featured some of the best players from around the world, including many of the protagonists of last week’s European Junior Championships. Top seed Alexander Zverev (pictured) accepted a wild card into his home event and used it well, winning all five of his matches in straight sets, including the final against second seed Roman Safiullin of Russia.
The visiting ITF Touring Team from Asia made their mark in the other events, especially Qiuyu Ye of China. She won singles and doubles for the second week running, beating Sandra Samir (EGY) for the girls’ singles, and teaming with Arina Folts (UZB) for the doubles title, repeating their title run in Reuil-Malmaison last week. The boys’ doubles went to eighth seeds Sahil Deshmukh (IND) and Ku Keon Kang (KOR). You can find photos from the tournament at the official website.
Also in Germany, the LBS Cup in Wailblingen is one of the busiest events on the Tour, with 64-draw 14 and 16 & Under tournaments running at the same time. Sergiu Ioan Bucur showed that apart from the recent successes of Bogdan Borza and Nicolae Frunza, there are some other Romanians to look out for as he beat Britain’s Daniel Little 6-4 4-6 6-1 for the 14 & Under singles title. The girls’ final was a battle between two Germans, with Sabrina Rittberger upsetting twelfth seed Imke Schluenzen 6-3 6-2 to take her first Tour title. Three of the four doubles winners were Russian; Dmitry Shatalin teamed with Filippo Mora (ITA) to win the boys’ title, while top seeds Alina Semashko & Elizaveta Voronova took the girls’ crown.
Like the 14s, the 16 & Under boys final saw a Romanian take on a Brit. Though he was made to work even harder, the result was the same as Paul Rares Andriuc beat Julian Cash 6-2 4-6 7-6(5). The girls’ final ended in disappointment for Jill Belen Teichmann (SUI). A day after winning the doubles with Ao Gai (CHN), she was forced to withdraw while trailing 4-0 in the final set to Mina Markovic, handing the Serbian her first 16 & Under title. Germany’s Michael Feucht & Robin Lang took the boys doubles.
The Category 3 Orange Cup in Yerevan (ARM) saw both Denys Klok (UKR) and Anastasia Shaulsakaya (RUS) wrap up their second singles titles of the season. Klok brushed past home hope Arshak Ghazaryan (ARM) and teamed up with Timur Igamberdyev (RUS) for the doubles title, while Shaulskaya beat compatriot Ekaterina Alay before adding the doubles with Valeriya Urzhumova (RUS).
The boys’ final of the Category 3 David Lloyd event in Dublin was interesting in that it featured two players who each won their last event and were looking to build on their win streaks. Britain’s Sacha Modica stretched top seed Johannes Ingildsen to three sets in the final but it was the Dane who won his second consecutive Tour title with a 6-4 2-6 6-1 victory.
It was third time lucky for Ceire Mullins (GBR), who won her first singles title on the Tour after falling in two finals earlier this year. She beat top seed Karola Bejenaru (ROU) 6-4 6-1. There was more British success in the doubles, with Robert Leck & Tiran Sanghera and Alexandra Herd & Eden Richardson taking the boys and girls titles respectively.
The 41st International Generali Bambini Cup in Kufstein (AUT) once again saw a 12 & Under and a Category 2 14 & Under event played simultaneously. Arianna Capogrosso (ITA) won her fourth Under 12 title of the season, beating compatriot Giulia Turconi, while Lenard Soha of Hungary beat Jurij Rodionov (BLR) for his first Tour title. Soha also won the doubles with Zsombor Piros (HUN), while Donia Abdel Aziz (GBR) and Laura Cazacu (ROU) took the girls’ title.
All four 14 & Under finalists had already won one singles title each in 2011, but it was Grigory Potemkin (RUS) and Tereza Mihalikova (SVK) who can now claim to be multiple title winners, after battling past Filip Grbic (SRB) and Dalma Galfi (HUN) respectively. Mihalikova also won the doubles, alongside Simone Alipieva (BUL), while home favourites Matthias Haim & Benjamin Schuerz won the boys’ doubles.
12 & Under
Edris Fetisleam of Romania has been one of the standout players on the 12 & Under Tour this year, and he added his fourth title of the season at the Dyadora Cup in Giroc (ROU), losing just ten games in five matches. In the final he beat compatriot Gabi Adrian Boitan 6-0 6-0, a day after the pair had won the doubles title together. If the boys final was one-sided, the girls’ was anything but, with Noranemes Nemes (ROU) needing three tough sets to get past Ioana Guna 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3. Nemes, who picked up her first title, also won the doubles alongside Izabela Novac.
The South Urals Cup in Cheliabinsk was totally dominated by Russians, and two in particular did very well, with Semen Pankin winning both boys singles and doubles (with Pavel Karpushkin) and Ekaterina Kazionova doing the same in the girls events (with Alexandra Dubrovina).
Promising Belgian Zizou Bergs won both singles and doubles at the Koblenz International (GER), beating Marvin Moeller (GER) in the singles final and teaming with compatriot Mathieu Bouwen for the doubles. The girls’ events were ruled by home players, with Lina Laechler beating Laura Bente 6-3 6-7 6-4 for the singles crown, and Sophia Mejerovits & Evelyn Schmidt taking the doubles.
16 & Under
With the Summer Cups in full swing, there was just one other 16 & Under event last week, the Category 3 Prievidza Cup in Slovakia, where home players scooped all available titles. Wild card Filip Pales scored a surprise win over second seed Alex Molcan to take the boys title, while Sarlota Cesnekova conceded just three games to Fanny Stollar (HUN). Molcan teamed up with Peter Vajda to win the boys’ doubles, while third seeds Nikola Dolakova & Tamara Kupkova won the girls’ event.
Aside from the Summer Cups, this week is yet another busy one on the Tour, highlighted by the Category 1 events in Hasselt (14 & Under) and Ulm (16 & Under). All the latest draws and results can be found here.