Jeline Vandromme and Justin Engel are the new European 16 & Under champions after both players put in impressive performances on Sunday to secure the biggest titles of their young careers. | 📷 Photo Gallery

The girls’ final was a battle between the 12th and 13th seeds, both of whom had scored a succession of upsets to reach the final. In the semi-finals, Vandromme had shocked the tournament’s top seed Teodora Kostovic (SRB) for the loss of just two games, while her opponent Mia Pohankova had earlier ended the hopes of second seed Charo Esquiva Bañuls (ESP) and third seed Rositsa Dencheva (BUL).   

In the final, the two players were inseparable early on until Vandromme broke to seal the set in the tenth game. The second set saw Pohankova – still 14 and one of the youngest players in the draw – begin to make more unforced errors, with the Belgian in the driving seat throughout as she served out for a 6-4 6-3 win.  

Incredibly, this was Vandromme’s first appearance at a Tennis Europe Junior Tour individual event. Earlier this year, she competed for her country twice in team events – at the Winter and Summer Cups, and coincidentally ran into Pohankova in both competitions. The Slovak won their first match in three sets in February while Vandromme levelled the head-to-head with a 6-3 7-6 win at the Summer Cups last month.

The Antwerp resident becomes the first ever Belgian girl to win a European 16 & Under title, and follows in the footsteps of former world #1 Justine Henin, the 14 & Under champion in 1996. “It feels great, I’m really happy to win this title,”, she said. “It was the first time playing a tournament like this for me, and to play the final and win the title is amazing.”

Pohankova meanwhile has the consolation of a second silver medal, adding to last year’s 14 & Under runner-up spot.

The boys’ final saw Justin Engel emerge triumphant from a hard fought 7-5 7-6(4) battle with Linus Lagerbohm of Finland.

A seesaw hour-long first set saw the fourth seeded German lead 4-2 before losing three games in a row. Under pressure, he recovered to thread together three games of his own. Despite having treatment for an abdominal injury in the second set, Engel was able to maintain the upper hand with a dominant performance on serve, scoring 9 aces to his opponent’s 1 and winning 73% of his first serve points.

“I played better in the most important moments, maybe that was the difference”, Engel told us. “It’s a great feeling to win this and gives me a lot of confidence. I hope to move on and play like this every week.”

The 2021 Junior Masters runner-up thus becomes just the second German to win a European 16 & Under title, after Daniel Elsner in 1995. Lagerbohm though was arguably the revelation of the tournament. Having upset top seed Kolos Kincses in his second match, the Finn embarked on an impressive run of upsets, also accounting for 14th seed Jan Sadzik (POL) and #8 Henry Bernet (SUI), as well as securing a doubles bronze medal with partner Oscar Paldanius.

There was joy for Switzerland in the boys’ doubles. Henry Bernet and Flynn Thomas – both of whom made waves in the singles event, reaching the semifinals and quarterfinals respectively – teamed to win gold against the Spanish pairing of Sergio Planella & Andres Santamarta Roig.

The girls’ event saw Rositsa Dencheva & Elizara Yaneva team up for a second European Junior Doubles medal. Having claimed silver at the 14 & under event in 2021, they went one better with a 6-2 6-3 win over Germany’s Julia Stusek and Sonja Zhenikhova in what was a battle between the tournament’s top two seeded teams.

The Championships brought a festival of Junior Tennis to the city of Parma throughout the week. The opening rounds were played across four of the city’s clubs – Circolo del Castellazzo, Sporting Club Parma, TC President and TC Parma, while all action from the quarterfinals onwards took place at the tournament ‘headquarters’, TC Parma, where Tennis Europe Vice President Giorgio Di Palermo was on hand to award the trophies.

The Italian Tennis and Padel Federation will host Tennis Europe’s flagship 16 & Under event until 2027. Commenting on the event, Tournament Director Mauricio Rosciano said, “We organised the tournament in just a few weeks and are very happy with the result. We’ve been able to show four beautiful venues, and the players and teams were happy. This is now the most important junior tournament in Italy, we’re already looking forward to the next year and start planning immediately.”

Both singles champions automatically qualify to compete at the season-ending Tennis Europe Junior Masters in Monte-Carlo, due to be held from 2-5 November.

Draws and Results & Information

Boys Singles | Boys Doubles
Girls Singles | Girls Doubles

We recently had the opportunity to sit and talk to the effervescent Victoria Barros of Brazil. The 13-year old São Paulo native is one of the many faces of a new generation of players from South America enjoying success on the Junior Tour.

Having won last year’s Overseas Player of the Year award, Barros has continued to make waves this season. She won the coveted Paris Cat.1 title in 2022, which she successfully defended in 2023, and was the highest-ranked non-European on the last year’s rankings with a 28/9 win/loss record.

How and when did you start playing tennis?

I started to play tennis because my mother played so many sports, like beach tennis and volleyball. At the beginning, she really helped me to get started. At first, I played beach tennis and then after that, I loved racquet sports and I started to play tennis when I was five.

When did you realize, “OK I’m quite good!”?

I think at first, I just loved the game…and then I started to play seriously and when I was six or seven I thought “yes, I can do this!”

How did you first find out about the Tennis Europe Junior Tour?

Well, I started to play in São Paulo and when I was training, I didn’t know too much about it…but I heard about it for the first time when I was 10 or 11 maybe. I didn’t start playing (on the Tour) then, because it was too far at that time.

What did you know about Tennis Europe?

Well, when I was young, I saw that it was so good and that there were a lot of good players there, you know even before, with Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Sharapova and everyone who played in these tournaments. So, I said “Mum, these tournaments in Europe are so good!” Then my mother and I learned more about Tennis Europe, how it works, who were the players and things like that.

What would you say are the advantages or drawbacks of the TEJT?

Well, I would say the good thing, depending on the tournament, is that the organization is generally quite good. The clubs (venues) are normally very good. Like in Maia (where this interview took place) for example, it’s great. I think the Super Category tournaments are really well organized, but it would be better to improve the match organization.

You mean the scheduling?

Yes, sometimes matches go late, and they don’t change the courts … so we are here until 5 o’clock or 6 o’clock and you start playing so late … and on court there is a match at 3-3 in the third set and you’ve been waiting all day and it’s just a little bit tiring. So, it’s better if I play on another court - any court. I think in general the schedules are OK but when matches go long, it needs to improve.

You recently started training at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. How is that experience for you?

Yes, I started in January and it’s an incredible experience. There are so many good players there and a lot of different coaches. Everything is new for me. I have improved everything and I’m starting to play more consistently. The club is so good and the people there are amazing.

How often do you go there? Is that your base now, or how does it work for you?

Yes, now I am there full-time. Sometimes I go on a holiday to Brazil. But yes, my base is there now. My Mum and I live there.

There are a lot of videos on social media where you’ve been training with Patrick himself. What was that like for you, working with somebody like that?

It was an incredible experience to have a coach who worked with Serena Williams, Holger Rune and other top players. He has so much experience at tournaments - it’s so good.

Have you ever had the chance to practice with any top players?

Well, back in Brazil, I practiced with Beatriz Haddad Maia. And she’s such a good player now, representing Brazil and everything (she’s doing).

We can see a lot of players coming from Colombia, Argentina and so forth. Do you see tennis in South America getting stronger and becoming more powerful in tennis?

I think in South America there’s one difference that is really good because in South America it’s more … more fight! Because in some countries, the situation is very difficult like in Venezuela or Brazil, even. So, the players just fight and go for every ball and everything.

Moving forward, what does the near future hold for you?

Well, I think for now just to keep playing and try and improve with every match… and start to work even harder and, yeah, just keep playing. There are so many tournaments to come!

You were Tennis Europe’s Overseas Player of the Year in 2022. What does it mean to you to win something like this?

I feel so good because It’s such a great experience in Europe, and I’ve played in some good tournaments. I have improved and I won a big tournament in Paris (Open Stade Français, Category 1). I think for me and for South America it’s very good because having one player starting to play in Europe might open the minds of other people.

When you have time to relax away from tennis, what things do you like to do?

Well, one of my hobbies is playing football. I used to play football very well ... and beach tennis too! Like I said, I started playing beach tennis before playing tennis … And well I just love beach tennis so much!!

Yes, it’s so much fun! And what about when you just want to chill or to relax at tournaments?

At the tournaments I like to meet and talk to new people, and I also spend time on Tik Tok (Laughs). I also like to talk to my mum, about my matches and everything. I like that so much. My mum is my rock.

What are your plans for the rest of 2023 and beyond?

I think I will play more ITF events to get more points and enter in junior (events). I might play some TEJT as well but now my focus is to start to play ITF and improve.

Thank you very much, and good luck with everything.

Thank you.

Arturs Zagars (LAT) and Anastasija Cvetkovic (SRB) were the week’s big winners, taking home the coveted Category 1 title in Sarajevo. However, there was plenty of other action, including the Small States Championships from Luxembourg as well as much more from around Europe. Let’s have a quick look back at the week that was on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour.

Arturs Zagars (LAT) and Anastasija Cvetkovic (SRB) were the week’s big winners, taking home the coveted Category 1 title in Sarajevo. However, there was plenty of other action, including the Small States Championships from Luxembourg as well as much more from around Europe. Let’s have a quick look back at the week that was on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Open RCT Barcelona 1899 | 16&U Category 1

Boys: On the back of his win at the Cat.2 event in Belgium, Zagars has won his third 16&U title on the trot and third of the season. His opponent in last week’s three-set Cat.2 final, Joao Morgado (POR, Race #2) exited the tournament early, while Zagars cruised to victory without dropping a set all week. In the final, he beat Race #7 Jan Smrcka (GER) in convincing fashion 6-0 6-3. His string of victories will certainly consolidate his top 3 spot in the Race to Monte-Carlo.

Girls: Cvetkovic faced Carla Vázquez (ESP) in the Final. The Spaniard had earlier upset top seed and Race leader Lana Virc (SRB) in a straight sets QF win. With a break in each set, Cvetkovic beat Vázquez 6-3 6-4 to claim a fourth title of 2023.

Doubles: Honours in the boys’ event went to Smrcka and compatriot Tim Kohl, while the girls’ doubles title was won by the Czech pairing of Nikol Marie Jarolimkova and Jana Kovackova, both winning their third doubles titles of the year, and first together.

Originally launched 27 years ago by Real Club de Tenis Barcelona and the Barcelona City Council following the 1990s Balkan wars, this event was a way to help collaborate in the reconstruction of Sarajevo and to promote the reintegration of children into sports. Top names to have participated in this tournament include Daniil Medvedev and Marin Cilic.

Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

TE/ITF Small States Championships | 14&U Category 2 | 📸 Photo Gallery

With seven (Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, San Marino) of the nine eligible nations participating, the tournament was a resounding success.  Hosted by the Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Tennis, players enjoyed a three-day training camp before the tournament kicked off, as well as off-court activities such as city tours, a theme park visit and a barbecue on the last day.

Local Olf Zielinski beat Pavle Vukosavljevic of Montenegro in the boy’s final 7-6(7) 6-4. The girls’ winner remained calm and steady in the face of a barrage of big-hitting from the home favourite in the final. Emilia Eyva Thygesen of Iceland fought back from a 1-6 1-4 deficit to outplay Zoé-Cheyenne Heins 1-6 7-5 6-2. 

Zielinski was elated after his win, “I saved a set point in the tiebreak .. and now I am the champion of the Small States, so I am very happy!”  Thygesen echoed these sentiments, “she was winning and then went down a little and I just kept on believing… it’s my first Tennis Europe tournament win, and I’m still 12, so I’m really happy!” 

Team Montenegro picked up the boys’ doubles title (Pavle Vukosavljevic & Luka Lukovic) while it was another win for Iceland in the girls’ doubles (Garima Nitinkumar Kalugade & Thygesen).  Finishing off the tournament in the great spirit that was shown all week, Montenegro (Pavle Vukosavljevic & Nastasija Delic) won the Mixed Doubles exhibition event.

Elsewhere on the #TEJT:

• Krakow, Poland: 12&U Cat 1 - Adam Taha (SVK) and Sofia Bielinska (UKR) were the winners. Bielinska has won a fourth title of the year, with Taha picking up a second win and his first Cat.1 of 2023 which will help his ambitions for a spot in Mallorca at the 12&U Festival.
• Klosters, Switzerland: with live streaming coming all week from the Swiss tennis hub, it was local Alessandro Hunziker who took the 14&U Cat.2 title. German Aurelia Lohrer was the girls’ champion. 
• Koblenz, Germany: a joint 12/14&U event saw some well-known names go home with trophies. 14&U Cat.2 champs were Hollie Smart (GBR) and Vincent Jakob Reisach (GER), with Smart adding a maiden 14&U title to her pair of 16&U titles while Reisach won a second title from three finals. The 12&U Cat.1 champs were Melker Anderson (SWE), who picks up title number two of 2023, and Darina Matvejeva (LAT) won her fourth singles title of the year.
• Alicante, Spain: Adding to his Cat.3 Madrid win, Julio Zarate Fernandez (ESP) took the Cat.2 title in La Nucia at the 14&U David Ferrer Tennis Europe. Ida Wobker (GER) added a second 14&U title to her two 16&U titles already won so far in 2023.

 

For full results from last week on the Tour click here, and don’t forget that you can follow all the latest draws, results, news and live streaming/scoring on the Junior Tour app, available free-of-charge for Apple and Android users.

Another busy midsummer week on tour saw plenty of action at 11 events held across the region for the Tour’s three age categories, while the 14&U ITF/Tennis Europe Touring Team saw their three-week expedition come to an end.

 

Financed by the Grand Slam Development Fund, four boys and four girls have been playing at a series of TEJT events as part of the Touring Team:
Boys: Vuk Krstajic (MNE), Mustafa Ege Sik (TUR), Dimitar Topchiyski (BUL), Itamar Verthaimer (ISR)
Girls: Zumra Balkan (TUR), Tea Kovacevic (BIH), Oliwia Sybicka (POL), Kiira Pashkov (EST)
Coaches: Goran Shevchenko (MKD), Irina Kuzmina Rimsa (LAT)

The trip included a training camp at Dueren before the Super Category event there. The next stop was the Cat. 1 event in Hasselt (BEL), followed by another Cat.1 in Barcelona.

Some of the players posted some great results, with Balkan finishing runner-up in Hasselt while both Kovacevic and Krstajic were semifinalists there. Then in Barcelona, Verthaimer walked away with the title, while Sybicka and Pashkov faced off in the girls’ final. (More on that below). 

After the event we also caught up with the girls’ finalists and got their impressions about their three-week experience with the Touring Team. “It was a great time. I met a lot of new people, and the coaches were great,” stated Oliwia Sybicka. “All the places were good, but Barcelona was definitely my favourite place. It’s a beautiful city and the tournament venue was really nice.” Pashkov added: “For me it was great too because I could practise more English and made new friends.”

The touring team allows players a great opportunity to experience life on the tour in a continuous stretch away from home, where there is a ‘team spirit’ which is very much alive. Sybicka noted, “Normally I travel with my parents, and it was the first time I was alone with just the coaches and other players. This is the longest trip I’ve done without going home…it was actually so good; I don’t want to go back!”

14&U Antonio Hernandez Cup, Barcelona, Spain

Held at the Emilio Sánchez Academy, the tournament is named after the former Sport Academy Director, who passed away some years ago. Many current top stars including Carlos Alcaraz and Paula Badosa are among the former champions of the event.

As mentioned, the Touring Team members won both singles titles in the Catalan capital. Itamar Verthaimer won the boys’ final against Kaloyan Shikov in a walkover. The Bulgarian was unable to play after having won the doubles as well as two tough three-set matches on the trot, a quarterfinal against Ege Sik’s conqueror Dario Ortega (ESP) and the semifinal win over fourth seed Leon Sloboda (SLO). Top seed Ege Sik was ousted in the first round but bounced back to reach the doubles semis with Verthaimer. 

In the girls’ final the top two seeds faced off, with Olywia Sybicka getting the better of her friend and teammate Kiira Pashkov, with a 6-2 6-0 win. Notably, Sybicka played the 16&U event here earlier in the year and also took the doubles title there. At this event the following players were crowned in the doubles:

Boys’ doubles champions: Kaloyan Shikov (BUL) & Aleksandar Tolev (BUL)
Girls’ doubles champions: Oliwia Sybicka (POL) & Sofia Iakukhina 

Elsewhere on the Junior Tour this week:

• At the 12&U MNDB Open in Sofia, Bulgaria, Daniel Stoyanov (BUL) has helped his chances for an invitation to the 12&U Festival in Mallorca with his first title of the year, while Polina Orlova has claimed an amazing fourth title of 2023.
• Winning on home soil at the 12&U Echter Italiener Cup in Regensburg, Germany, has also given Luys Calin and Lilly Marie Greinert a shot at getting to Mallorca by winning their first singles titles of the season.
• The same tournament has a 16&U event, where Vanessa Svobodova (CZE) has claimed a fifth Junior Tour title of 2023, while Leopold Henss (GER) took his first.
• The Cat.2 Argayon Cup in Nivelles, Belgium is a massive event with both 14 and 16 & Under categories. Here’s a breakdown of some stand-out results:
  B16: Latvian Arturs Zagars claims his second win of the year, denying top seed Joao Morgado (POR) a second singles title of 2023. Watch the Race update tomorrow for some interesting moves.
  G16: The singles title went to Maryia Kolas, who was a TEJT regular in 2021 on the 12&U circuit.
  B14: Top seed Savva Rybkin is back to his winning ways with a fourth title from six finals this year. Expect him to move up from ninth spot in the Race to Monte-Carlo.
  G14: Canadian Charlize Celebrini took the honours in this event
• At the Cat.2 Brasov Cup in Romania, Matei Vitor followed up his quarterfinal run from Dueren Super Category event a fortnight ago to reach his sixth final of the season and claim a second title, also claiming the doubles with compatriot Iancu Manolache. Another Romanian, Maria Valentina Pop, won her second title from four finals.
• At the 14&U Karen Kyureghyan Memorial Cup in Tsakhazdor, Armenia, the singles titles were won by Alexander Kunitsyn and Nita Skhiladze (GEO).
• For final results from all this week’s events, please click here.

The 2023 12 & Under European Summer Cups by Dunlop Finals have been won by Israel (girls) and France (boys). Writing their names into the history books, the Israeli girls will be taking home the first ever European team title for their nation - in either Summer or Winter Cups. The French boys on the other hand add to a plethora of titles already won in the other team competitions. In this particular event, it is the third title for the team.

The final rounds of both events were held in France with the collaboration of the Fédération Française de Tennis. The girls played in the Corsican capital of Ajaccio, while the boys played in Dijon, in the Burgundy region.

Full Results | Photo Gallery (girls) | Photo Gallery (boys)

Road to the Final: Round-Robin Stage

Girls - Group A (Israel, Italy, Slovakia, Ukraine)

After the first two days of play, team Israel was the only nation to have secured two wins, with every other team, having a win-loss of 1-1. Slovakia notched their second win yesterday but Israel’s 3-0 victory over Italy sent them through to the final as undefeated group winners.

Girls - Group B (Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Spain) 

It was the same case for Great Britain, being the only team with two wins after two days. Their 2-1 win over the Czech Republic yesterday secured their undefeated path to the final. 

Boys - Group A (Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary)

On home soil, and in hot form, the French boys were clear winners of this group. Undefeated and unrelenting in three straight rounds, they were inspired, making a statement and winning all three of their ties 3-0.

Boys - Group B (Belgium, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain)

The first match turned out to be the decider: Slovakia were made to fight against their Belgian opponents in the first tie, with a 2-1 victory coming in the decisive doubles.  This proved to be a key victory as both teams won their next two ties 3-0 and 2-1, meaning that the vital win on day 1 was what had secured Slovakia their spot in the final.

The Finals

Girls - Israel def. Great Britain 2-0

A two-time finalist on the Junior Tour in 2023, it was Daniel Baranes who sent Israel up 1-0 with a 6-3 6-3 win over Liv Zingg. Then Ofir Manhard conceded only one more game than her compatriot to outdo Megan Knight 6-4 6-3 and give the Israelis an unassailable lead. The doubles match between Baranes & Daniel Blustein against Knight & Zingg was not played, with young team already celebrating the well-earned honour of taking home the first European junior team trophy for Israel. Prior to this win, Israel’s closest brush to victory came in 1988, when their boys’ 18&U team lost to Sweden in the Summer Cups final.

Boys - France def. Slovakia 3-0

The French boys kept up their momentum from the Round Robin stage, refusing to give an inch yet again to their opponents. Mario Vukovic, winner at Passagespoirs and finalist in Porto San Giorgio, got the ball rolling for France with a 7-5 6-3 win over Andrej Adamovic. Evan Giurescu, already a winner of two titles this year, then gave the home nation a decisive 2-0 lead with a tough 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Max Lorincik, himself a three-time winner on the TEJT in 2023. And to keep an immaculate sheet, Giurescu & Samuel Dakessian ensured that France’s incredible unbeaten run remained intact, beating Adamovic & Matteo Sanson 6-0 6-0.

This third victory at this event for the French was made even sweeter by playing at home and given that their last win came all the way back in 2010 when the event was held in Alghero, Italy.

Final Standings

Girls

1. Israel
2. Great Britain
3. Slovakia
4. Czech Republic
5. France
6. Italy
7. Ukraine
8. Spain

Boys

1. France
2. Slovakia
3. Belgium
4. Czech Republic
5. Hungary 
6. Spain
7. Netherlands
8. Germany