This year’s ITF/Tennis Europe Grand Slam touring team for boys and girls aged 14 & Under completed another successful summer tour in Germany and Belgium during the months of July and August. The team consisted of eight players, three boys and five girls. The boys included Daniils Batmanovs (LAT), Nikoloz Davlianidze (GEO), and Anton Magnusson (ISL), while the girls were Adela Joldic (BIH), Daniela Vismane (LAT), Ana Shanidze (GEO), Marija Elenova (MKD) and Vitalia Stamat (MDA). Two coaches, Goran Shevchenko (MKD) and Egor Semichin (MDA), accompanied the players.
The players and the coaches met in Duren, Germany on July 26th, where they had a short time to train and get to know each other before competing at the first tournament of this tour, which was held in the same location. The results of this first Category 1 tournament showed the promise of the team, but the results were note so satisfactory. Three players reached the third round in singles events where they lost; Nikoloz Davlianidze to Seon Yong Han (KOR) 6-2 6-4, Adela Joldic to Dalila Said (EGY) 7-5 1-6 6-2 and Marija Elenova lost to Anastasia Kharitonova (RUS) 3-6 6-2 6-2
The tour continued in Hasselt, Belgium where the Team had a more successful event with some notable achievements. Having missed the first tournament with a knee injury, Daniela Vismane showed that she is one of the best players currently on the tour. In the singles tournament she posted a great 7-5 6-4 win over Argentina’s Maria Lourdes Carle, who had won three consecutive tournaments. Advancing to the semis, she faced another good player in Eliz Maloney, but the Brit was better that day and won 7-5 6-1. In the girls singles, two players reached the third round; Marija Elenova losing to Maloney 6-3 6-7(4) 6-1 and Vitalia Stamat losing to Watsachol Sawasdee (THA) 6-3 3-6 7-5. In the boys singles event, Daniils Batmanovs showed improvement by reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Aidan Mchugh 6-1 6-4. The Brit also went on to beat Nikoloz Davlianidze 6-2 6-0. In the doubles event, Joldic & Elenova reached the semi final but lost to Askarova (KGZ) & Park (KOR) 6-3 7-6(3), while Batmanovs & Egor Noskin (RUS) lost in the final against Colson (BEL) & Mchugh (GBR) 3-6 6-4 10-5.
On the third week of a tour the team returned to Germany were they participated at the Audi GW:plus Zentrum München Junior Open. This was with out any doubt a girls’ week. Ana Shanidze reached the semifinals before losing to the winner Sofya Lansere (RUS) 3-6 6-3 6-3, while the other semi was a fight between two team-mates. Adela Joldic put in a great performance against Daniela Vismane to win 6-4 3-6 6-3 to book her place in the final, but Lansere was too good on this occasion and won 6-4 6-4. Marija Elenova also posted a good result by reaching the third round, losing to Natalia Boltinskaya 6-3 6-3. Daniils Batmanovs reached the quarterfinals of the boys’ singles, where he fell to Noskin (RUS) 7-5 6-3, while Davlianidze and Magnusson both reached the third round, losing to Niko Hornitschek (GER) 6-3 7-5 and Lukas Tomic (BIH) 6-4 6-2 respectively. In the doubles tournament, Ana Shanidze partnered Maya Chwalinska (POL) to reach the semis, where they lost to Sziedat/Voll (GER) 5-7 6-4 10-8.
The tour finished with the prestigious Jugend Cup in Renningen/Rutesheim where the ITF/Tennis Europe players produced their best results of their short tour. The Latvians were the stars of the event and both reached the singles final. Daniela Vismane became the first player to win a singles title by beating Mihaela Lorena Marculescu (ROU) 6-2 6-3. Daniils Batmanovs narrowly failed to mae it 2/2, playing a great match against Egor Noskin but ultimately losing 7-5 6-3. Vitalia Stamat reached the quarterfinals where she lost to finalist Marculescu 6-4 7-5, while Nikoloz Davlianidze lost to Hornitschek 7-5 6-4 at the same stage. Adela Joldic reached the third round, where she fell to to Ann Cathrin Hummel 7-6(1) 6-4. Marija Elenova won the consolation tournament with a 6-4 6-1 victory against Santa Strombach (GER). The great week concluded with one more win as Elenova & Joldic took the girls doubles crown after a very long and dramatic match over the Germans Sziedat & Voll 4-6 7-5 12-10.
After four very competitive tournaments, team coaches Goran Shevchenko and Egor Semichin concluded that it had been a very successful summer for this year’s team. Players competed in some of the best European events in this age division and showed a great attitude, competitive spirit and work ethic. The players’ evident desire to improve paid off, with their results and match wins increasing as the tour went on.