This year’s ITF/Tennis Europe 16 & Under Team has recently completed a 5-week tour of Italy and Denmark. The Tour began on 29th May with a training camp held at the Circolo Tennis Foligno where the team of 4 girls – Eliza Omirou (CYP), Inci Ogut (TUR), Katsiaryna Yemelyanenka (BLR), Zinovia Vaneva (BUL) – and 4 boys Ergi Kirkin (TUR), Eleftherios Neos (CYP), Tomas Vaise (LTU), Bojan Jankulovski (MKD) - practiced together for three days. The training camp gave the opportunity for the players and their coaches Irena Chichmarova (BLR) and Goran Shevchenko (MKD) to get to know each other before going on to compete at four of the top Tennis Europe and ITF Junior Tour events of the summer.
The tour started with the Category 1 Tennis Europe Junior Tour event in Foligno, followed by the prestigious Avvenire tournament in Milan. After these two 16 & Under events the Team moved to Denmark and continued their tour at consecutive ITF Grade 4 and 5 tournaments in Odense and Aarhus.
At the first tournament, the spotlight fell on Inci Ogut who reached the singles semi-final before losing to eventual champion to Alessandra Simonelli (ITA) 3-6 6-2 6-2. Other notable results saw Eliza Omirou and Zinovia Zaneva reach the quarter finals, losing to Csenge Furak (HUN) 6-0 7-6(6) and Simonelli 6-0 6-3 respectively. In the boys’ singles event, Ergi Kirkin and Bojan Jankulovski both reached the third round. In the doubles events Ogut & Omirou showed that their doubles game was just as good as their singles, reaching the final before falling to COSAT team members Melany Solange Krywoy (ARG) & Camila Romero (ECU) 6-4 3-6 [10-5]. Kirkin & Jankulovski reached the boys’ final where they lost a dramatic late night match to the Italian team of Riccardo Balzerani & Giovanni Fonio, 6-7(7) 6-4 [12 10] (pictured below).
After Foligno, the team moved to one of Europe’s best-known junior events, the 50th edition of Avvenire in Milan. In the singles tournament four team players reached the third round; Eliza Omirou lost to Ludmilla Samsonova (RUS) 6-1 6-4, Katsiaryna Yemelyanenka to Lucrezia Stefanini (ITA) 6-2 6-0, Ergi Kirkin to Riccardo Balzerani (ITA) 6-2 6-2 and Bojan Jankulovski to Enrico Dalla Valle (ITA) 6-3 6-1. Once again the best team performance came in the doubles, with Ogut & Omirou reaching the final (pictured below). This time the pair went one step further than the previous week, claiming the title by beating home favourites Martina Pratesi & Lucrezia Stefanini 6-2 6-1.
In the third week the team continued to Denmark to take part in the Grade 4 ITF Odense Cup tournament. Eliza Omirou was the star of the week, winning the singles title 6-4 6-4 over Anna Turati (ITA). Three other players reached the third round where Inci Ogut lost to Isolde De Jong (NED) 6-1 6-3, Katsiaryna Yemelyanenka to former Tennis Europe Junior Tour #1 Michaela Bayerlova (CZE) 1-6 6-4 6-2 and Ergi Kirkin to Johannes Ingildsen (DEN) 6-2 7-5. In the doubles event, Eleftherios Neos & Tomas Vaise reached the semifinal and lost to the eventual tournament winners Tom Floris Moonen & Bart Stevens (NED) 6-1 6-3.
The last week was the Deloitte Junior Cup tournament in Aarhus where the team finished the tour on a high with some good results. Zinovia Vaneva reached the quarter final of the girls’ tournament before losing to Emma Lene (FRA) 7-6(14) 6-3, while Inci Ogut and Katsiaryna Yemelyanenka lost in the third round to Leonie Kung (SUI) 6-2 6-4 and Malene Helgo (NOR) 6-4 7-5. In the boys’ event, Tomas Vaise capitalised on his ‘Lucky Loser’ place in the main draw, showing his potential to reach the quarter final before falling to the event’s winner Louis Wessels (GER) 6-2 6-3. Bojan Jankulovski also reached the quarters where he lost a see-saw match against the eventual finalist Carl Soderlung (SWE) 6-1 0-6 6-2. Repeating the success from Milan Ogut & Omirou won their second doubles tournament, beating Mirjam Bjorklund (SWE) & Megan Rogers (GBR) 7-6(0) 6-1.
The team coaches, Goran Shevchenko and Irina Chichmarova were very satisfied with the players’ performance and their overall improvement during the tour. The Tour provided an opportunity for these players to compete at some of the best events in the world for 16 & Under players and to have a chance to compete at strong ITF 18 & Under tournaments.