Romania’s girls and Russia’s boys are the new European 12 & Under team champions after wrapping up the Tennis Europe Nations Challenge by HEAD titles.
At the girls’ final rounds in Ajaccio (FRA), the Romanian team put in some confident displays to top their round robin group. Led by Andreea Amalia Rosca, a winner of five Tennis Europe Junior Tour titles already this season, the team breezed past potentially tricky opponents from Portugal and Serbia 3-0 in the opening matches before coming from behind to beat defending champions Russia 2-1 in their final group match.
Over in Group A, the Czechs had to work somewhat harder in order to book their place in the final. After beating Ukraine 3-0 in their opening match, the team had to come from behind to beat both Great Britain and Spain 2-1.
Georgia Andreea Craciun gave the Romanians the lead in the championship match with a 6-3 6-1 win over Anna Slovakova. Playing at the final rounds for a second year, Marketa Vondrousova looked as though she might be able to level up for the Czechs when she took the second set 6-1 from Rosca, but the Romanian #1 held on to wrap up a three-set win to claim the title.
The Czechs managed to score a consolation victory in a marathon doubles match to end the day. Despite losing the first set 6-1, Slovakova & Tereza Prochazkova rallied to beat Rosca & Ioana Guna 1-6 7-6(5) 7-6(12).
The final rounds of the boys’ event were held in Alghero (ITA), where both finalists had put in some commanding performances to win their respective round robin groups. Great Britain had lost only one live singles match in despatching Italy, Romania and Ukraine in Group A (in which Romania’s Edris Fetisleam beat Barnaby Smith to level the tie before Britain’s Max Stewart & Dominic West won a hotly contested doubles match over Fetisleam & Gabi Adrian Boitan, winners of three Tour doubles titles together this season).
Meanwhile, Russia had mixed fortunes on the way to topping Group B, beating Turkey 2-1 and Israel 3-0 before losing their final group match with France after Dan Added & Corentin Moutet beat Timur Chelmodev & Artem Dubrivnyy in their deciding doubles match.
The final turned out to be fairly straightforward for the Russians, who won both singles encounters to wrap up the title. Mikhail Sokolovskiy beat West 6-3 6-2 to establish an early lead and it fell to Dubrivnyy, who was playing in the final for a second consecutive year, to clinch the tie with a 6-2 6-4 win over Smith.
The win marks a first boys’ title at the event for Russia, the fourth nation to win the championship in the five years since its creation. Romania’s maiden win in the girls’ event represents a second European team victory of the summer for the country, following their win at the 14 & Under boys Summer Cups. A total of 61 national teams from across Europe took part in the competition.
Final Standings
Girls Boys
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ROMANIA RUSSIA
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CZECH REPUBLIC GREAT BRITAIN
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SPAIN TURKEY
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RUSSIA ROMANIA
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UKRAINE FRANCE
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SERBIA ITALY
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GREAT BRITAIN ISRAEL
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PORTUGAL UKRAINE
Draws, Results & Photos
Girls' Finals - Ajaccio (FRA) | Nominations | Draw (Group 1) | Draw (Group 2) | Photos
Boys' Finals - Alghero (ITA) | Nominations | Draw (Group 1) | Draw (Group 2) | Photos