The first Fischer Indoor Junior National titles of 2026 were handed out last week at the U16 and U12 Championships.
U16
No player managed to double up at the U16s in Verdun, QC. Alden S.K. Yu of British Columbia came the closest on the boys side, hoisting the doubles trophy alongside Ilya Sherifali but falling short in the singles final to Antoine Tardif of Quebec.
Tardif didn’t have the easiest route to the title as the second seed needed three sets to secure the opening-match win, then had to come back from a set down in the quarters.
The Quebecker reached the final thanks to a straight-sets victory but again had to produce a comeback to get his hands on silverware. Tardif turned the tides against Yu to clinch his place in the winner’s circle, taking the match 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 for his second Fischer Junior Nationals singles title.
Photo: Andre Noël
Amy Shen had a much more comfortable path to the girls singles title. The British Columbian conceded just 14 games in her four matches on her way to the final. For the title, Shen cruised to the opening set against Elisabeth Djabourian of Quebec before wrapping up the match in a tiebreaker, 6-2, 7-6.
Read also: Mboko and Stakusic withdraw from Billie Jean King Cup; Arseneault added to roster
Both the boys and girls doubles finals were contested by the top-two seeds. No. 2 seeds Yu and Sherifali took down top-seeds Marc-Édouard L’Allier and Callum MacKinnon for the boys title, while the No. 1 seeds of Romy Gravenor and Ève Thibault came out on top in the girls final, beating Djabourian and Catherine Xie.
U12
Yoyo Siyi Li and Daniel Marinov were standouts at the U12 Indoor Junior Nationals in Calgary, AB.
Li was perfect en route to sweeping the girls titles, not conceding a set in her ten matches across the singles and doubles draw. The Saskatchewanian defeated Zoe Mao in the singles final and paired with Wilma Wai Bo Yue of Ontario to hoist the doubles trophy.
Read also: University Update - Dong Breaking Through in NCAA
On the boys side, Marinov dropped just one set in both singles and doubles play, beating Lucca Teixeira for the individual crown. The Ontarian partnered with Jaden Han of Alberta to clinch the doubles title.
U18s and U14s Kickoff
The U18 and U14 Championships are next up on the Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals calendar, with the event already underway on Saturday.
Quincy Qianzhou Yao of Ontario leads the U18 boys singles field at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, which features a few members from the National Tennis Centre’s Class of 2025-26. Caden Colburne of Nova Scotia arrives as the No. 2 seed and Andy Tchinda Kepche of Quebec looks to get his hands on more Fischer Nationals silverware, hoisting the U18 Outdoor singles trophy in 2025.
In the girls singles draw, last year’s runner-up Charlize Gabrielle Celebrini will be the favourite to enter the winner’s circle in 2026. The British Columbian is the top seed, above Isabella Ruyu Yan of Saskatchewan.
Luke Laughlin and Brayden William Woo are the boys doubles No. 1 seeds, while Sophie Michelle Dement and Alexie Normandin are the girls top pair. Gravenor and Thibault are the second seeds in the girls draw, looking for back-to-back titles after their U16 success.
Read also: National Bank Open’s Most Notable Recent Upsets
The U14s are on the west coast at the UBC Tennis Centre in Vancouver, BC.
Li will be in search of a second title in as many weeks as well following her U12 triumph. The Saskatchewanian is part of the girls singles field led by qualifying round robin top-seed Elise Chen and No. 2 seed Charlotte Macdonald.
Liam John Suh of British Columbia will have the No. 1 next to his name in boys singles ahead of Oscar Sounitsky of Ontario. However, Sounitsky enters as the top seed in doubles with fellow Ontarian Damian Smith.
The girls doubles draw is also led by an all-Ontarian team, made up of Amelia Mishelle Simutin and Karina Swaminath.
Feature Photo: Andre Noël
