The ITF/Tennis Europe Touring Teams, funded by the Grand Slam Player Development Programme, continue to deliver remarkable performances and achieve results that highlight the participants’ potential and promise for the future.
Each year, two teams of 14 & Under and 16 & Under European players have the opportunity to train with ITF/Tennis Europe coaches and compete in several top ITF and Tennis Europe events.
This year, the 14 & Under Touring Team consisted of 5 girls and 4 boys who competed and trained under the supervision of coaches Goran Shevchenko (MKD) and Irina Kuzmina-Rimša (LAT).
Girls: Viktorija Cesonyte (GER), Maria Valentina Pop (ROU), Tea Kovacevic (BIH), Ayse Bal (TUR) and Sara Mitevska (MKD)
Boys: Andrei Radu (ROU), Kerem Genc (TUR), Mehmet Toprak Ercin (TUR) and Zuka Kacheishvili (GEO)
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Key Results
- Viktorija Cesonyte secured the singles title at the 14 & Under Super Category event in Düren. At the same tournament, Cesonyte and Maria Valentina Pop reached the doubles final.
- Tea Kovacevic claimed the title at the 14 & Under Category 1 tournament in Renningen (GER), defeating Maria Valentina Pop in the final.
- At the Jugend Cup, the girls' doubles final was contested between Touring Team participants Viktorija Cesonyte & Tea Kovacevic, who defeated Maria Valentina Pop & Aysel Bal 6-2, 6-2. In the boys’ doubles final, Mehmet Toprak Ercin & Andrei Radu lost to the Czech pair Tommy Patrik Luxa & Tobias Zapsky.
- After her semifinal win against Sara Mitevska, Ayse Bal finished as the runner-up at the David Ferrer Cat. 1 event in Alicante, falling to Slovakia’s Sofia Rachel Kocisova 4-6, 4-6 in the final.
- Also in Alicante, Zuka Kacheishvili and Andrei Radu played in the doubles semifinal. Radu also reached the singles final but lost to home favourite Ian Barroeta (ESP). Meanwhile, Kerem Genc & Mehmet Toprak Ercin won the boys' doubles title, and Pop & Cesonyte claimed the girls' doubles title
The ITF/Tennis Europe Touring Team plays an important role in a player’s development, offering them valuable opportunities and experiences. Several top players, including Grigor Dimitrov and Jelena Ostapenko, benefited from this program during their junior careers.
When asked about this experience, Maria Valentina Pop said: “I really enjoyed my time here with the Touring Team. It has been an unforgettable month with amazing people, and I made some great memories that will last a lifetime. I learned a lot but most importantly I tried my best. I want to thank everybody who made this possible.” As for Ayse Bal, she said "it's great sharing so many happy moments with the Touring Team, I learned so much both on and off court and had the chance to see the level of tennis of other players".
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Elsewhere on the TEJT this week:
- Tea Kovacevic (BIH) & Mark Becirovic Novak (SLO) won the 16&U Cat. 1 OPEN RCT Barcelona 1899 in Sarajevo
- Luca Sageder (AUT) and Eva Maria Bulai (ROU) won their first and second titles of 2024 respectively at the 12&U Cat.1 event in Sofia, Bulgaria, giving both players an excellent chance of qualifying for the 12&U Carlos Moyá Festival in November
- Staying in Bulgaria, Martin Bonev and Elena Papadopoulou tasted success on home soil at the 16&U Cat.3 Haskovo Cup. It was a maiden TEJT singles win for Papadopoulou, while Bonev won his third TEJT title, and second of the season.
- Moritz Freitaig (AUT) and Lilly Marie Greinert (GER) won the 14&U Cat.2 event in Klosters, Switzerland
- One of our avid social media followers Roman Ryzkhin won his second singles tournament of the year in Baku, Azerbaijan (14&U Cat.3). See below:
Upcoming events
- The Race to Monte-Carlo will reach its conclusion in just over a month. There are two Category 1 tournaments coming up where players can get a final chance to score some big points towards their Race tallies before the rankings cut-off date of October 7th, which will be the last one to count for qualification for the year-end tournament.
- Registrations for both of the following tournaments close on September 3rd:
14&U | Cat.1 | World TEC Cup | 30 Sep – 6 Oct | Barcelona (ESP)
This event will be held on hardcourt/greenset on the outskirts of the city. Register here.
16&U | Cat.1 | 2nd Alibaba Cup |1-5 Oct | Humenne (SVK)
This event will be played on clay and you can register by clicking here.
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