Germany has won the 16 & Under boys’ Tennis Europe Winter Cups by HEAD title for the first time since 1999 after a hard-fought victory over the Czech Republic at the finals in Ronchin (FRA).
Marvin Moeller staged an unlikely comeback to put the Germans ahead after the first singles match. Patrik Rikl rushed to a 6-1 lead before his rival began to find his range, with the German eventually recovering for a 6-3 6-3 win.
The second match was a repeat of last year’s European 14 & Under Championships final as Rudolf Molleker took on Czech #1 Tomas Jirousek. As in the opening singles, the German player was forced to come from a set down, but Molleker rose to the challenge, ending Czech hopes with a 4-6 6-4 6-3 win that stretched his win/loss record to 3-1 over his young rival.
Molleker thus becomes one of an elite group of players to have won Winter Cups titles in two age groups, having been a part of the team that won a first 14 & Under title in 30 years last year.
Patrik Rikl was joined by Daniel Velek for a consolation doubles win over Moller and Niklas Schell that brought the final score to 2/1 in Germany’s favour; the final balance of the tie saw Germany win a total of 39 games to the Czech Republic’s 38.
The bronze medals went to Sweden, who recovered from the loss of the opening singles to beat Poland 2/1.
At the girls’ finals in Veska (CZE), Russia beat Great Britain 2/0, winning two marathon singles matches and ending a run of four successive final defeats in the 16 & Under category of the competition.
Russian #2 Evgeniya Levashova has won many of the biggest events on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, claiming the European 14 & Under title and Junior Masters in 2013, and following up with a spot on last year’s winning 14 & Under Winter Cups team. She got off to a good start, edging a first set tie-break over Britain’s Georgina Axon. The Brit fought back to level the match, causing Levashova to drop her first set in her last seven Tennis Europe Junior Tour events – a run that stretched back to May 2003. The Russian regained her poise though, holding on for a 6-4 win in the third set to give the top seeds a 1/0 lead after almost three hours of play.
The second singles was almost as dramatic as last year’s European 14 & Under Championships silver medallist Olesya Pervushina faltered at the end of the second set to allow Jodie Anna Burrage equalise. Pervushina eventually triumphed 6-4 5-7 6-3 to put the tie out of the reach of the Brits, and the dead doubles rubber between Levashova, Elena Rybakina, Axon and Burrage was not played.
The victory was Russia’s eighth in this age group, and first since 2006. Great Britain had reached the final of the 16 & Under girls’ event for just a second time, 30 years on from the previous appearance.
Italy beat France 2/0 to claim the bronze medals in a match that featured two former WTA Top 20 players as team captains, with Italy led by Silvia Farina and France by Emilie Loit.
Draws and Results
Boys (Ronchin, France): Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Photos
Girls (Veska, Czech Republic): Draw | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Photos