The Belgian boys and the girls from Bulgaria have won this year’s edition of the 18&U European Summer Cups. It’s the first title for Belgium, while for the Bulgarian girls this is their second consecutive trophy. In more historic news, the Summer Cups in Granville (girls) coincides with the centenary celebrations of the host club, which has been the venue of the Summer Cups finals for over 50 years, and has seen participation from some of the greats of the game.
Upsets/Highlights:
➝ G18: Seeded first and fourth respectively, the Slovakia-Spain match in the semis of the final rounds was always going to be a mouth-watering prospect. Winner of the ITF J300 in Roehampton and Junior Wimbledon semi-finalist Renata Jamrichova was first up against recent European Junior Championship gold medalist Ariana Geerlings. The match went all the way, with the Slovak taking the third set 6-4. Nina Vargova had an easier time, dispatching last year’s 16&U EJC silver medalist Marta Soriano in straight sets.
➝ B18: More sad news for Spain as their boys’ team was upset at the first hurdle in the Final rounds. The unseeded and unheralded Italians played with a home-court advantage: Federico Bondioli was too strong for Alejandro Melero, winning their three-set tussle. Fabio de Michele then took care of business against 16&U EJC silver medalist (2022) Martin Landaluce in straight sets. The luck of the locals ran out in the following round as top seeds France dashed any hope of a home final for the Italians.
Valerio/Galea Cup: Boys’ Final
FRANCE vs BELGIUM - Rome, Italy
Last year, Belgium reached the final but fell to France. However, this year the Belgian boys redeemed themselves and demonstrated that they wouldn’t leave Rome without the gold. Alexander Blockx defeated Gabriel Debru 6-3, 6-4. Although the score might not suggest it, they engaged in an intense match that lasted for 1 hour and 46 minutes. Similarly, Gilles Arnaud Bailly didn't allow his opponent to win a set and secured the victory 7-5, 6-1.
Belgium's Road to the final
Qualifying Rounds: Bye; def Poland 3-0; def Italy 2-1
Final Rounds: QF def Serbia 2-1; SF def Czech Republic 3-0
Soisbault/Reina Cup: Girls’ Final
SLOVAKIA vs BULGARIA - Granville, France
At their second consecutive final, the Bulgarian girls knew what it takes to claim the Summer Cups trophy. First on the court today was Rositsa Dencheva, who won against European Junior Championships finalist Nina Vargova 6-3, 6-3. With a boost of confidence given by her compatriot, Iva Ivanova faced Renata Jamrichova and won 7-5, 6-3. Thus, they didn’t have to play doubles to determine the verdict: the Bulgarians -this year’s the golden medalists.
Bulgaria's Road to the final:
Qualifying Rounds: Bye; def Ukraine 2-1 def Romania 3-0
Final Rounds: QF def Italy 2-1; SF def France 2-0
Final Standings:
Boys:
- Belgium
- France
- Italy
- Czech Republic
- Spain
- Serbia
- Great Britain
- Sweden
Girls:
- Bulgaria
- Slovakia
- Spain
- France
- Poland
- Belgium
- Italy
- Romania
For complete results, photos and more click here.