The Bohdan Tomaszewski Cup, the largest and oldest youth tennis event in Poland and a prestigious Category 1 Tennis Europe tournament, has come to an end.

The girls’ final was a repeat of last year’s matchup, but this time the score told a different story. Tea Kovacevic (BIH) and local favorite Oliwia Sybicka are both familiar faces on the Junior Tour, yet they had met in singles only twice before. In 2024, Kovacevic cruised to the title with a dominant 6-1 6-1 victory. This year, however, the contest was far more intense. Kovacevic took the opening set 6-2, before Sybicka struck back to win the second 6-2. The deciding set turned into a thrilling battle, with Kovacevic winning it 7-5 to successfully defend her title.

"The tournament in Warsaw went absolutely amazing – from the hospitality, to the officials, to the whole organization, everything was just perfect, so I really want to thank everyone for making it such a great event. My adventure started kind of funny – my flight landed the morning of the tournament, and my tennis bag got lost, so at first I thought I’d have to play with someone else’s racket! Luckily, it all worked out, and from then on the matches were unbelievable. The level of the players was really high, the tournament was run so smoothly, and I couldn’t be happier with how it went. This is actually my second year in a row winning the tournament – in both singles and doubles! In doubles I teamed up with Maria Valentina Pop, and in singles I played the final against Oliwia Sibicka. She played an unbelievable final, and I’m really happy I got to play against her – it was such a great match and she should be proud of herself. I really enjoyed every moment, and I hope I’ll be back here next year trying to win it for the third time in a row!", said Tea Kovacevic after being called champion.

As for the boys’ draw, local favorite Sebastian Tejerina looked determined to claim the trophy from the start. Facing him in the final was Romania’s third seed, Laurentiu Badea, who also battled fiercely until the very last point. Both sets were decided in tiebreaks, and Tejerina dominated when it mattered most. It’s the third TEJT trophy for him this year and sixth overall.

Girls Doubles
Tea Kovacevic (BIH) & Maria Valentina Pop (ROU) def. Julia Borowik & Daria Dehmel (POL) 6-2 6-3

Boys Doubles
Aleksey Petushynskyy (UKR) & Eriks Valeinis (LAT) def. Darius Dorin (ROU) vs. Blazej Krzysko (POL) 6-4 6-1

Elsewhere on the Tour

Krakow, Poland | 12&U Cat 1: Milos Wozniak (POL) wins his first TEJT event, while Monica Iliescu (ROU) claims her second.

Karlsruhe, Germany | 12&U Cat 1: Julian Pflugbeil (GER) celebrates his first TEJT trophy.

Benidorm, Spain | 14&U Cat 2: Ildana Zaripova and Camelot Cornello (USA) played their seventh and sixth finals respectively this year, each claiming their third title of 2025.

For all of this week’s winners, go to: https://www.tenniseurope.org/page/35674/Tennis-Europe-Junior-Tour-Winners

For full results, click here.

Violetta Skryp of Ukraine and Spaniard Rafa Garcia Domenech won the Category 1 event in Alicante (14&U). By doing so, both players have passed a milestone, having won their first singles title on the Junior Tour this season. 

Meanwhile, Marie Charlotte Monnier (POL) and Istvan Damjan Mokan (HUN) add more trophies to their already impressive 2025 hauls at the Category 1 event in Sarajevo (16&U).

Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina | 16&U Cat1 

“Open RCT Barcelona 1899-Sarajevo 2025”

In order to collaborate in the reconstruction of Sarajevo and promote the reintegration of children into sports following the 1990s Balkan wars, the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona and the Barcelona City Council launched the Category 2 event in Sarajevo 29 years ago. The event has gone from strength to strength ever since and was upgraded to a Category 1 tournament in 2018. Former players include the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Marin Cilic, and amongst former champs are Laslo Djere (2010) and Tea Kovacevic (2024).

This year, Hungary’s Istvan Damjan Mokan and Marie Charlotte Monnier of Poland have added their names to the winners’ list. Mokan’s key win was against top seed Eriks Valeinis (LAT) in the quarterfinals. In the final Mokan was too strong for Dragos Mihai Mone (ROU), taking the final 6-4 6-1 to earn his second title of the season.

Monnier was the second seed and won the title for the loss of just one set in the quarterfinals. In her seventh final of the year, she outdid Croatia’s Marta Dzanic 6-2 6-2 for an amazing fifth tournament win.

“It was my first time in Sarajevo. It was a very nice tennis environment and felt really good. This win definitely makes me very happy: it is another step towards my goals and I am ready for new challenges,” stated Monnier after her win. Sitting on the cusp of the top eight at #9 in the Race to Monte-Carlo, look out for her name in next week’s update.

Boys’ doubles champions: Andriy Maksymenko (UKR) & Istvan Damjan Mokan (HUN)
Girls’ doubles champions: Sofie Carolina Fraes Espersen (DEN) & Ayanna Maria Mitu (ROU)

According to the organizers, “this year, around 100 young tennis players from 23 countries competed in Sarajevo. Among the participants were representatives from various European countries and beyond, including Kazakhstan, Canada and Hong Kong. Awards were presented to the finalists and winners by Berta Tintore, envoy of the City of Barcelona and daughter of the late Juan Maria Tintore, and Astrid Masague, Vice President of RCT Barcelona 1899.”

Alicante, Spain | 14&U Cat1 

“David Ferrer Tennis Europe Junior Tour U14”

With three doubles titles under her belt this year, Violetta Skrypp (UKR) made a tactical decision to forego the doubles this week to focus on the singles. It paid off, taking her all the way to her maiden singles final of 2025, where she played last week’s Barcelona runner-up Emilia Henningsen. The Dane, in her seventh final of the year, took the opening set, but the Ukrainian fought back to win her first title of 2025 with a 4-6 7-6 6-4 victory. 

Garcia was riding high all tournament long, coming off the back of a semifinal run at the 16&U tournament in Barcelona two weeks ago. After an easy start to the event, back-to-back three-setters tested his mettle, not least his quarterfinal dismissal of top seed Lucas Ariel Herrera Sanchez. In the final, Garcia defeated Francisco Sardinha, part of the ITF/Tennis Europe Touring Team, claiming his first title of the year 6-1 6-2.

Girls’ doubles champions: Zeliha Nil Çukurluoglu (TUR) & Emilia Henningsen (DEN)
Boys’ doubles champions: Ondrej Kacin (CZE) & Tobias Zapsky (CZE)

Elsewhere on the Junior Tour:

Sofia, Bulgaria | 12&U Cat1: The singles’ champs at the MNDB Open this year are Jan Celisak (CRO) and Dimitra Kallistrou (GRE). It’s a third title for the Greek player and a maiden Cat1 win for Celisak, opening the door to potential qualifying for the 12&U Festival in November. 

Istanbul, Türkiye | 16&U Cat3: It was an all-Turkish whitewash in singles, doubles and for first and second place in all events. The singles champions were Ziya Ayberk Aydin and Melis Yildirim.

Szentendre, Hungary | 14&U Cat2: Local Mark Jony was playing in his fifth singles final of the year and claimed his third win. Meanwhile, Romanian Eva Maria Bulai also added to her impressive list of titles in 2025, winning her fourth singles title from four finals this season.

For all of this week’s winners, go to: https://www.tenniseurope.org/page/35674/Tennis-Europe-Junior-Tour-Winners

Coming up on the TEJT:

Week 35 kicks off tomorrow, featuring some important events including:

• Warsaw, Poland | 16&U Cat1 | “Bohdan Tomaszewski Cup”
• Granada, Spain | 12&U Cat1 | “Internacionales de Andalucia”
• Benidorm, Spain | 14&U Cat2 | “Juan Fuster Zaragoza”

For the full TEJT calendar click here.

The 2025 edition of the ITF/Tennis Europe Small States 14 & Under Championships concluded in fitting style, with both singles finals showcasing all-national match-ups that underlined the strength of two standout nations this year.

On the boys’ side, Cyprus celebrated an all-Cypriot showdown between Yiannis Leontis and Anastasis Mosaikos, with Mosaikos claiming the title in dominant fashion, 6-1 6-1, ensuring the trophy would return to Cyprus for another year. In the girls’ event, it was Malta’s turn to shine, as Pippo Cutugno faced off against Julia Perera Vega in an all-Maltese final, with Perera Vega emerging victorious 6-3 6-2.

Cyprus also tasted success in the doubles events. In the girls’ doubles, Thelma Chrysafi and Aleksija Strika secured a 6-2 6-4 victory, while in the boys’ doubles, the Cypriot pairing edged a thrilling final 6-3 4-6 10-8.

The week was once again preceded by the traditional training camp, led this year by Dermot Sweeney, ITF Technical Director for Training Centres and Player Development. The camp set the tone for a week of competitive yet friendly encounters, allowing players to sharpen their skills and adapt to the playing conditions while forging connections with peers from across Europe’s smallest nations.

Adding a unique historical twist to the Maltese success story, it emerged that their coach is himself a former champion of the event, having competed here and lifted the trophy in 2003 and 2004 (pictured below).

This year’s edition marks the final year of Luxembourg’s three-year tenure as host nation. Reflecting on this chapter, Maciej Szymonski, Development Manager at Tennis Europe, commented:

“These three years in Luxembourg have been a fantastic experience for players, coaches, and officials alike. The facilities, the organisation, and the hospitality have set a high standard for the event, and we are grateful to the Luxembourg Tennis Federation for their dedication. The Championships have provided countless memorable moments and have played an important role in developing young players from Europe’s smallest nations.”

From Iceland to Montenegro, and soon to be joined by the Faroe Islands in 2026, the Small States Championships continue to highlight the talent and spirit within tennis’s more intimate sporting communities. While the tournament now prepares for a new host nation next year, the legacy of the Luxembourg editions will remain an important part of the event’s history.

Marko Aleksovski (MKD) and Shangran Cai (CHN) have been crowned champions at the 14&U Category 1 Antonio Hernandez Cup in Barcelona.

A stalwart of the TEJT since 2022, the North Macedonian has played in a massive 27 tour finals in singles and doubles, winning 15. His sweet sixteenth winner’s title is also fittingly his biggest Tennis Europe Junior Tour triumph and is his sixth of 2025, following victories at two events in Skopje as well as in Ulcinj, Bitola and in Antalya at the Development Championships.

Aleksovski is on the the ITF/Tennis Europe Touring Team and, as part of their tour, recently made the R16 in Düren (GER, SuperCat), followed by a semifinal appearance in Wilrijk (BEL, Cat.1) before reaching the final in Barcelona. His road to the final was a tough one, having beaten fellow Touring Team member Francisco Sardinha (POR) in a three-set quarterfinal before going the distance once more against Iakov Mazin.
In the final he met the in-form Stefan Shangichev (ESP) who nabbed the first set in a tiebreaker. However, with Aleksovski up 3-0 in the second, Shangichev was forced to withdraw due to a forearm injury. 

Post-match Aleksovski stated, “I’m really happy with my result and it was a great week. I want to thank the organisers and Tennis Europe … the final was a really good match. Unfortunately, Stefan had to retire because of injury. I hope he gets better.”
Cai is also no stranger to the TEJT, having won four singles titles in 2024, with Barcelona marking her second win of 2025. The Chinese player was in exceptional form, having not dropped a set all week, including 6-1 6-4 win in the R16 over fifth seed Arina Fomina. In the final, she was too strong for sixth seed Emilia Henningsen (DEN), taking the match and the title with a 6-2 6-2 victory.

As can be seen in the video, Cai is holding two trophies, as she also won the girls’ doubles title with Kira Mikaelian. Shangichev and Jaime Alcaraz were the boys’ doubles champions. 

Marisa Sanchez-Vicario, General Manager of the Academy, was on hand at the trophy presentation. “Thank you to Tennis Europe and the Spanish Federation and also a congratulations to the winners and finalists. You put on some very nice matches today, and it’s too bad one of the players had to retire. Good luck in the next tournaments coming up. It’s a very special tournament for us, in memory of Antonio. Thank you to all the staff who are here and who knew him and who worked very hard this week.”

Tournament History:

• The Barcelona tournament, now known as the Antonio Hernandez Cup, has been part of the Junior Tour since 2004 and is named in the memory of the former Head Coach who passed away ten years ago.

Sound Familiar?:

• Top players who have played here in the past include Carlos Alcaraz, Alex De Minaur, Paula Badosa and Svetlana Kuznetsova, amongst others.

Never Say Never:

• And there is always hope for every junior out there: Roger Federer once played in the 12&U event but failed to make it through the qualies!

ITF/TENNIS EUROPE SMALL STATES CHAMPIONSHIPS

In an all-Maltese girls’ final, Julia Perera Vega defeated Pippa Cutugno 6-3 6-2 in the girls’ final. Meanwhile Team Cyprus dominated in the three other events. The boys’ finalists were both Cypriots, with Anastasis Mosaikos taking out Yiannis Leontis 6-1 6-1. The two boys returned to court later on Thursday to win the doubles, as did their compatriots Thelma Chrysafi & Aleksija Strika in the girls’ doubles.

To read more about this tournament click here.
To see all the other winners from the past week, click here.

COMING UP ON THE JUNIOR TOUR

• The next main event on the 14&U tour is the Category 1 event in Alicante (ESP) at the David Ferrer Academy in La Nucia
• The 16&U players have their own Cat.1 event in Sarajevo (BIH)
• And in a welcome return, the 14&U Cat.3 Ukrainian Open will once again take place in Vyshkovo (UKR)

For the full TEJT schedule go to https://te.tournamentsoftware.com/tournaments

The ITF/Tennis Europe 14 & Under Touring Team has reached the halfway point of its 2025 summer tour, completing two top-level events with great results and growing momentum.

Guided by coaches Goran Shevchenko (MKD) and Irina Kuzmina-Rimša (LAT), the players have just finished their second tournament at the Category 1 event in Wilrijk, Belgium, after starting the tour with a strong debut at the Super Category event in Düren, Germany.

This year’s team:

Boys

• Francisco Sardinha (POR)
• Andrija Martinović (BIH)
• Marko Aleksovski (MKD)
• Rafael Pagonis (GRE)

Girls

• Samiye İdil Özkeresteci (TUR)
• Violetta Skryp (UKR)
• Vasilisa Zarecinaia (MLD)
• Eda Lara Sacirovic (BIH)

In Düren, Germany, the team faced one of the strongest fields of the year. In singles, Samiye İdil Özkeresteci and Violetta Skryp both reached the semifinals - an impressive start to their campaign. Meanwhile, Francisco Sardinha made an excellent run to the semifinals of the doubles, partnering with a player from outside the team.

In Wilrijk, Belgium, the players built on that experience, showing improved performances and resilience. Marko Aleksovski advanced to the semifinals in singles, while Violetta Skryp and Eda Lara Sacirovic both reached the quarterfinals.

The 14&U Touring Team provides a unique development opportunity for promising young players, combining international match play with structured training, professional guidance and the support of travelling as a group. Off court, the players are also learning important aspects of life on tour, such as travel routines, recovery, nutrition and teamwork - all essential for their future careers.

With two tournaments left, in Barcelona and Alicante, the team is aiming to finish the summer on a high, making the most of every match and experience.

Stay tuned for the final wrap-up, including results, reflections, and standout stories from the last stage of this European summer journey.