Hungary and France are the new 16 & Under Tennis Europe Winter Cups by HEAD champions after edging past Russia and Sweden respectively on the final day of the competition.
Despite being seeded #1, Hungary had a tougher time on the way to the final than their opponents, beating hosts Czech Republic and Italy 2/1 at the final rounds in Ricany, while Russia breezed past Belarus and France without conceding a match in either tie.
The opening rubber of the final saw a re-match of the 2012 14 & Under Tennis Europe Junior Masters final between Dalma Galfi (HUN) and Anna Kalinskaya (RUS), won by Galfi in three sets. On this occasion the match was just as hard-fought, with the Hungarian holding steady under pressure in the second set to put her team ahead with a 6-4 7-6(4) win.
Evgeniya Levashova of Russia was the player to succeed Galfi as Junior Masters champion and she showed that the transition to 16 & Under tennis was no challenge by blasting past Fanny Stollar for the loss of just three games to level the tie.
Three of the four players returned to the court for the decisive doubles match, with Aleksandra Pospelova joining Kalinskaya for Russia. Despite their tiredness, experience eventually paid off for the Hungarian pair, who played together regularly on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour in 2012, as they fended off a determined fight back from the Russians to triumph 6-3 2-6 6-3 after almost two hours of play.
Hungary’s win is just the second for the nation in this category, with the previous title won in 2009. Russia has now lost the final of the 16 & under girls’ Winter Cups in each of the last four editions.
Meanwhile, France’s boys’ team thrilled the home crowds in Ronchin by beating Sweden 2/0 to lift the trophy for the second time in three years.
The opening match saw French #2 Ugo Humbert recover well from the disappointment of losing the second set to Filip Malbasic, racing through the third set to love to complete a 6-4 5-7 6-0 win.
The next match was a battle between reigning European Junior Champion, Corentin Moutet, and his predecessor Mikael Ymer. Again the match went to three sets, with Ymer breaking twice in the second set to level the score. Moutet got the upper hand mid-way through the final set, holding on to secure the title for the home team with a 6-4 2-6 6-4 win.
France has now won the boys’ 16 & under title a record 14 times, including four of the last six editions. Sweden was appearing in the final for the first time since 2000, and both teams look likely to perform well at the Summer Cups later in the year.
France also claimed the bronze medals in the girls’ competition, thanks to a 2/0 win over Italy, while Germany took third place in the boys’ event after completing a 2/1 win over the Slovak Republic.
A total of 59 national teams took part in the 2014 edition of the 16 & under event. For full results from the qualifying competition, click here.
Results & Photos
BOYS 16 & UNDER
Ronchin (FRA) - Teams & Captains | Draw | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Photos
GIRLS 16 & UNDER
Ricany (CZE) - Teams & Captains | Draw | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Photos