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Salafa & Anikina conquer the 12&U Festival

Arthur Salafa (FRA) and Elizaveta Anikina (EST) are the winners of the 2024 Carlos Moya 12 & Under Festival, the season-ending invitational event for Europe’s top players of the age group. | Photo Gallery

The Festival, held at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in Manacor, Mallorca offered the 64 participants (from 23 nations) a week of high-level tennis competition - broadcast live on tenniseurope.org - combined with engaging off-court activities.

The tournament kicked off with a visit to the Rafa Nadal Museum, where players admired the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s trophies and were thrilled to see his first racquet and even his trophy from 'Les Petits As', a Tennis Europe Junior Tour event. They spent time exploring interactive games and taking lots of photos.

The visit was followed by the Opening Ceremony and a Q&A session with Carlos Moya, who shared his wealth of experience and ofference some valuable advice to the players, "The most important thing to me is to enjoy the journey. You don’t know who will make it to the professional level, so for now, it’s about giving your best—your 100%—every single day, even on the bad days because those are the ones that matter most. If you work hard through those days, you’ll learn to embrace the challenges. Enjoy the process, you’re only 11 or 12 years old. There’s plenty of time before the professional tour. Cherish the moment, the friendships you’re making, and this entire week!”

The off-court schedule also included a Players' Party and a session of the Tennis Europe Junior School. The participants learned about Safeguarding and Media, and were joined by special guest Sandi Procter, President of the LTA and Vice President of Tennis Europe. She talked about her roles in both organizations, her background and her experiences at Wimbledon.

The Finals: Boys’ Singles

Arthur Salafa breezed through the Group Stage with quick wins but faced a tough challenge in the quarterfinals. After losing the first set to Frederick Fabricius, he managed to come back and claim victory in the match tie-break.

Martin Adamca’s most challenging match came in the semifinal against Sweden’s Enzo Brito, who dominated the first set with a 6-2 win. However, the Slovak managed to turn the match around and secure his spot in the final.

The finalists had met once before, at the Winter Cups earlier this year, where Adamca won 6-1 7-5. On this occasion, Salafa evened the head-to-head. He claimed the tightly contested first set 7-6 but faced a challenge as Adamca took a 3-1 lead in the second. However, the French regained his focus and won five of the next six games to seal the championship with a 6-4 victory in the second set.

Girls’ Singles

Both girls’ finalists were making a second appearance at the 12 & Under Festival, and demonstrated that they have gained valuable experience and learned important lessons since last year’s edition. Estonia’s Elizaveta Anikina maintained her dominance, limiting Eva Maria Bulai’s opportunities to take control. Although the match was closer than the scoreline suggested, Anikina excelled in the important moments and ensured the gold medal with a 6-2 6-2 win over her Romanian opponent. This victory marks Anikina’s seventh Tennis Europe title of the year, with five tournament wins in the 12 & Under category and two in the 14 & Under category.

Doubles

The doubles finals were held on Saturday. After an intense semifinal, Martin Adamca returned to the court alongside his compatriot Matteo Sanson. Facing them were the well-rested British duo Frederick Fabricius and Kai Max Hodkinson, who dominated the match with ease. Fabricius and Hodkinson secured the title with a decisive 6-3, 6-0 victory.

As for the girls, Croatia’s Korana Barisic showed great determination. Despite losing a challenging singles semifinal earlier in the day, she regrouped alongside her close friend Ana Marija Rebic. Together, they triumphed against Mariia Kocherzhenko & Anna Kuznetsova of Ukraine 7-6 6-3.

Tennis Europe Vice-President and Junior Committee Chair Sandi Procter commented, “It has been a delight to see first-hand the incredible efforts made by the hosts and organisers here at the Rafa Nadal Academy to ensure an unforgettable experience for the players, both on and off-court. This tournament represents an important milestone in the careers of the young participants; for many of whom this will be their final 12 & Under tournament. Congratulations to all the participants, and on behalf of Tennis Europe, thanks once again to our generous hosts.”

Tennis Europe Junior Masters

Follow all the action from Monte-Carlo, where the top 14 and 16 & Under players of 2024 face off for one of the most prestigious titles in junior tennis here.

Carlos Moya 12 & Under Festival Players Revealed

Europe’s top players are preparing to compete at next month’s season-ending Carlos Moyá 12 & Under Festival, a spectacular invitational event for the best performing players of the year.

Hosted by the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in Manacor, Mallorca for a fourth year, the event has already become firmly established as the highlight of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour’s 12 & Under circuit.

The year’s event will be staged from 12-17 November, with the line-up due to include 64 players (32 boys, 32 girls) from 23 nations. Between them, the participants confirmed so far have accumulated an incredible 64 singles and 63 doubles titles on the Tour in 2024.

ℹ️ Check out the full lists of confirmed players: Boys | Girls. 📷 Photo Gallery

Leading the way is Elizaveta Anikina of Estonia. She won a Tour-leading four Cat.1 titles during the year, as well as two Cat.2 14 & Under tournaments – Tallinn and Riga. She’s also been the busiest player in the field: her first match in Mallorca will be her 101st of the season.

Hot on her heels will be Korana Barisic (CRO), a winner of one 12 & Under event, finalist at two others, and most recently the champion of two 14 & Under Cat. 3 events in Porec and Zadar. Beata Maresova (CZE) and Simona Novakova (SVK) both claimed three Cat.1 titles from four finals, while Eva Maria Bulai (ROU) won two Cat.1 events and reached five finals.

Anikina and Bulai are both playing the event for a second time, having also qualified as 11-year olds in 2023.

On the boys’ side, Arthur Salafa of France will command the respect of his peers, being the only player in the field to have already won a 14 & Under title, which he did at Cat.2 Pontevedra, where he added to his Cat.1 12 & Under wins in Auray and Hradek. One main rival for the Festival crown is likely to be Nicolas Basilone of Italy, who claimed three Cat.1 titles – Vrsar, Maglie and Trieste) from five finals.

Other multiple titlists in action include Adam Napari of Finland (2 wins from 3 Cat.1 finals), Jonas Waelti (SUI, 2 wins), Martin Adamca (SVK, 2 wins from 4 finals) and Matteo Sanson (SVK, 2 wins from 3 finals).

The final remaining spots will be filled by wild cards in the coming days, check the acceptance list for further updates.

Named in honour of the former European Junior Champion, world #1 player and later coach to Rafa Nadal, the Carlos Moyá 12 & Under Festival players will as always be treated to a week of hospitality, entertainment and off-court adventures, including a trip to the Rafa Nadal Museum and an introductory Junior School session.

Matches will be streamed live on tenniseurope.org and via the Junior Tour app throughout the event. Further details will follow.

Junior Masters Wild Cards Announced

Max Lorincik (SVK), Daniel Baranes (ISR), Lenny Petit (MON) and Eleonora Toneva (BUL) have been awarded wild cards to compete at the Junior Masters in Monte-Carlo, due to start in less than two weeks

Max Lorincik from Slovakia, the first player born in 2011 to rank within the top 15 of the Race to Monte-Carlo (currently 14th), has competed in four Junior Tour finals this year, clinching the title at the Kaleva Open.

Winner at the 2023 12 & Under Festival, Daniel Baranes will fill the final spot in the 14 & Under Girls category. This year, Baranes secured a Category 1 title in Helsinki and reached the finals at the Torneo Avvenire, also a Category 1 event.

Lenny Petit is familiar with the Monte-Carlo Country Club, having competed at the Masters in the 14 & Under event in 2022. With two ITF titles under his belt, he is set to return, aiming to surpass his previous achievements, now in the 16 & Under category.

Eleonora Toneva, currently ranked 8th in the Race, will join her compatriots Kaloyan Shikov (B16) and Valeria Garnevska (G16), completing both the Bulgarian team and the Girls 16 & Under lineup. Toneva has played four Junior Tour finals this year and won two of them.

Additionally, the competition has seen a few changes in its line-up. In the Boys' 14 & Under category, #5 ranked Izan Banares has withdrawn, allowing #9 ranked Alex Tuomolin (FIN) to enter the event. Similarly, in the Girls’ 14 & Under event, top-ranked Jana Kovackova (CZE) has withdrawn, creating the opportunity for #9 Megan Knight (GBR) to join.

The Junior Masters, hosted by the Monegasque Tennis Federation for the fourth consecutive year, will take place from October 22-26. Complete profiles of the 32 qualified players are available below:

Boys 14 & Under

Girls 14 & Under

Boys 16 & Under

Girls 16 & Under

Junior Masters players revealed

Tennis Europe has confirmed the line-up for the 2024 Junior Masters, scheduled to take place at the iconic Monte-Carlo Country Club from 22-26 October. The prestigious event brings together Europe's most talented junior players, showcasing the top-performing boys and girls of 2024 in the 14 & Under and 16 & Under categories.

The 28 players confirmed today (listed below) have collectively won 869 singles matches on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour this season, securing a total of 49 singles titles.

The Boys 14 & Under category is led by #1 Eric Lorimer of Great Britain, followed by compatriots Scott Watson and Niall Pickerd-Barua. As for the girls, top-ranked Jana Kovackova (CZE) can't return to Monte-Carlo to defend her 2023 title, so Viktorija Cesonyte of Germany is leading the line-up.

The 16 & Under fields will welcome both European Championships gold medalists Carla Giambelli (ITA) and Yannick Alexandrescou (ROU). Giambelli will face strong competition from 14 & Under European champion Tea Kovacevic, who has dominated the 16 & Under rankings for much of the season.

A total of 17 nations will be represented. Romania leads the way with four qualifiers, while Czechia and the United Kingdom each have three competitors.

First held in 1996, the Tennis Europe Junior Masters boasts an impressive list of former champions, including Rafa Nadal, Kim Clijsters, Alexander Zverev, and Belinda Bencic. The event is played under a round-robin format, with each age category featuring 8 players split into two groups of 4. The group winners will advance to compete in the final.

The event is being hosted for a fourth consecutive year by the Monegasque Tennis Federation. Fans can follow the action through live streaming on the Tennis Europe website and mobile app, with live broadcasts available on the Tennis Channel in selected European regions.

Player reactions:

Yannis Alexandrescou (ROU, Boys 16 & Under)

"I am really grateful to be participating in this year’s Masters! It’s such a privilege for me to play in one of the most beautiful tennis clubs of the world with amazing conditions. Looking forward to overachieving my bronze medal of last year."

Tea Kovacevic (BIH, Girls 16 & Under)

“I’m very glad about this year’s results and being #1 in the Race and that I’ll be playing 16&U in Monte-Carlo and I’m very happy with my results. I’ve heard a lot about the tournament - I mostly know everyone but I’m looking forward to meeting new players there and and to having a great tournament!”

Eric Lorimer (GBR, Boys 14 & Under)

“The Junior Masters is a prestigious event. I was pushing hard to try and compete there and definitely had my eyes set on it!”

Laura Chlumska (CZE, Girls 14 & Under)

“It was one of my goals for this year to play this tournament and I’m really looking forward to playing at the Monte Carlo Country Club. I’ve heard a lot about this tournament and it’s an honour to be one of the players that have an opportunity to experience the hospitality and atmosphere of the tournament.”

Boys 14 & Under