Last week saw seven Tennis Europe Junior Tour events held across three age categories and in six different countries. Heading those was the XXI Taça International Maia Jovem tournament, which attracted a typically strong field, with players from five continents in action at the first Category 1 clay court event of the year, including many of the Tour’s top-ranked 14 & Under players.
The girls’ event saw an all-British final, with Francesca Jones beating Eliz Maloney 6-3 6-1 to claim her first Tennis Europe Junior Tour title in almost a year. Both players put in a great week, each beating three seeded players on their way to the final. Jones also reached the final of the doubles alongside Czech partner Lucie Kankova, but the pair was beaten in straight sets by Irina Cantos Siemers (GER) & Simona Waltert (SUI).
The boys’ event was won by unseeded Spaniard Alejandro Vedri Asensi, who claimed a first Tennis Europe Junior Tour in impressive style. He beat five seeds during the week, including #1 Tomas Jirousek (CZE), and did not concede a single set during the tournament. His final opponent, Anthony Popyrin (AUS), pushed him harder than any other player, forcing Vedri to a tie break in the opening set before the Spaniard could establish a lead, eventually winning 7-6(4) 6-4.
The boys’ doubles went to the Chinese-Bulgarian pair of Zhao Lingxi & Leonid Sheyngezikht, who ended the hopes of Portugal’s Daniel Rodrigues & Tomas Soares in a marathon match that ended with a 22-point tie break.
There was further success for Great Britain at the Category 3 Zaba Cup in Vinkovci, Croatia, where Jack Draper claimed his second singles title of the season by coming from behind to record a 5-7 6-2 6-0 win over second seed Karlo Suevich (CRO).
Home players swept the girls’ events, with Iva Zelic beating Clara Burel (FRA) 6-2 6-0 in the singles, and Karla Kilic & Iva Krivic taking the doubles over Italians Agnes Aranyi & Timea Visontai. Polish pair Pawel Godek & Karol Paluch prevented another home win by taking the boys’ doubles over Duje Ajdukovic (CRO) & Viktor Banczi (SRB).
Top seed Stefan Palosi wrapped up a productive fortnight in Greece by claiming the title at the Category 3 Kalovelonis Open. Having lost in the final of last week’s event in Heraklion to home hope Alexandros Skorilas, the Romanian gained a measure of revenge by beating the same player, and by the same score – 6-1 6-2.
Vasiliki Karvouni ensured that one of the trophies would remain on home soil by taking the girls’ title for the loss of just one game to Derya Yahe (BUL). Karvouni also went on to reach the girls’ doubles final. Alongside Natalia Nikolopoulou and playing her third match of the day, she was eventually beaten 7-5 6-4 by Russians Maria Manilova & Anastasia Tikhonova. The boys’ doubles title went to Filip Jianu (ROU) & Filippo Moroni (ITA), who beat Alexander Gima (ROU) & Ewan Lumsden (GBR) in a battle of the top two seeded teams.
16 & Under
There were two 16 & Under events held last week, both of which were at Category 2 level. The GD Tennis Cup in Antalya saw some further successes for established players. The top two-ranked 14 & Under players were in action in the girls’ event, and the certainly left their mark as #1 Olesya Pervushina (RUS) beat #2 Dayana Yastremska (UKR) 6-4 4-6 6-3 in a hard-fought singles final. The previous day the pair had teamed up to win the doubles over Marie-Charlot Lonnemann (GER) & Ainur Suleimanova (KAZ).
The boys’ event also saw a victory for the top seed as Turkey’s Cagatay Sami Soke flew the home flag with a straight set win over second seed Lev Kazakov (RUS). Kazakov can take consolation from having won the doubles, where he teamed with compatriot Dmitrii Morozov to beat Nikita Katsnelson & Simon Yastremsky (UKR).
The Yason Cup in Novi Sad also saw a home player emerge victorious as Serbia’s Olga Danilovic scored an impressive straight sets upset over top seed Eleni Christofi (GRE) to take the girls’ title.
Playing his first Tennis Europe Junior Tour event of the season, Bojan Jankulovski (MKD) overcame Daniel Cozma (ROU) to claim the boys’ title, and now holds six singles titles in the last year.
There were plenty of upsets in the doubles, with unseeded Slovenians Veronika Erjavec & Nika Zupancic taking the girls’ title and sixth seeds Christopher Hutterer (AUT) & Kaloyan Valchev (BUL) winning the boys’.
12 & Under
Players from three different countries ended up with titles at the Bar Cup in Montenegro. The boys’ singles final was an all-Serbian battle which saw Viktor Jovic beat his doubles partner Ilija Zoroja. Russia and Belarus dominated the other events, with Avelina Sayfetdinova (RUS) beating Sara Zalukar (CRO) foir the girls’ title, and Ksenia & Sofi Brich (BLR) winning the doubles. The boys’ doubles was won by Alibak Khachmanov (RUS) & Mikhail Kniazeu (BLR).
Home players dominated the boys’ events at the Azores Open in Ponta Delgada, with Eduardo Morais beating Portuguese compatriot Pedro Ruivinho Graca for the singles title. Ruivinho Graca had earlier teamed with Miguel Lopes to beat Morais & Tomas Pinho in the doubles final. Sadly, the girls’ events were cancelled due to an insufficient number of players.
This week the Tennis Europe Junior Tour continues with another nine events being held in seven countries. Keep up with all the latest draws and results here.