Junior Update by Har-Tru: Canadians Build Momentum Through June

Canada’s grip on its home World Tennis (formerly ITF) junior events slipped briefly early in June but the young Canucks responded well. By the end of the month, the Canadians were back to dominating on their home soil.

Here is the monthly junior tennis update presented by Har-Tru.

Over the four weeks of events, the Canadian results improved as the tournaments went along.

Ottawa was a struggle for the hosts, as they were shut out of the winner’s circle. Both singles runners-up, Mathias Hamel-Van Dun on the boys side and Mariya Marinova on the girls, were Canadian, but both lost to American opponents.  

Things improved the following week in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where Aedan Malik doubled up. In singles, Malik did not drop a set on his way to the title. He beat countryman Evan Xie 6-2, 7-6(5) in the final to secure his first WT Junior singles title. Xie came through qualifying and picked up four main-draw wins, all in straight sets, including a semifinal upset of top seed Luke Laughlin.

Malik teamed up with Laughlin in the doubles and justified their No. 1 seed by claiming the title. Their toughest test came in the semis when they edged out compatriots Callum Mackinnon and Liam Suh 10-7 in the match tiebreak. They proceeded to win the all-Canadian final over Julian Mahdavi and Xie 6-4, 6-3.  

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The following week in Winnipeg, the Canucks were the dominant force, sweeping the event. It was Rachel Wu’s turn to dominate in Manitoba, winning both the girls singles and doubles titles. In singles, she lost just 12 games in her title run, capped off with a win over her doubles partner Noelle Dai 7-5, 6-1. The pair were the top seeds in the doubles and secured the title with a finals win over Victoria Koniouchine and Clara Vicol.  

The boys spread the wealth in Winnipeg, with Tommy Penev claiming the singles crown while Matteo Dal Grande and Arya Guha won the doubles. Penev survived a three-setter in his opening match but cruised from there, dropping just four games in the semis and final combined.  

Canadians got a hand on every trophy last week in Kamloops as well, although they had to share the doubles titles. Daniel Dong partnered with Chi Shun Aiden Chan of Hong Kong to claim the boys doubles title, while Sophia Montemurro teamed up with American Melody Lee to win the girls doubles.

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Ilia Dobrovolsky and Katherine Kobzar secured the singles titles for the host nation. Dobrovolsky had to battle to earn his first WT Junior title, coming through a pair of tough three-setters, including in the final against Britain’s Oluwajomiloju Aminu. Kozbar had a much smoother path, not dropping a set on her way to victory, also her first on the junior circuit.

Here is the full list of winners from the Canadian ITF Junior events over the last month. Winners are Canadian unless otherwise indicated:  

Vancouver plays host to a J60 event this week before the World Tennis Tour takes a break from Canadian events. The Fischer Outdoor Junior Nationals will get underway later in July.

Lagaev Leads at Wimbledon

Four Canadians made the trip to London for the Wimbledon Junior Championships, although only Nadia Lagaev competed in the main draw.

Canada’s top-ranked junior picked up a win in her opening match over Fleur de Bresser of the Netherlands, but bowed out in round two against ninth seed Mariella Thamm of Germany. In doubles, she and Ukrainian partner Sofiia Bielinska were beaten by fifth seeds Jana Kovackova and Katerina Zajickova in the first round on Tuesday.

Benjamin Azar, Xavier Massotte, and Felix Roussel participated in boys qualifying at the All-England Club, but all three fell short of the main draw.

Elsewhere on the World Tennis Junior Tour, there were a number of all-Canadian finals.  

At the J200 event in Mason, Ohio, at the same site as the Cincinnati Open, Avery Alexander beat compatriot Clémence Mercier to win the biggest title of her junior career. Joshua Adamson was a winner at the J100 event in Monterrey, Mexico, besting Caden Colburne in the final.

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Adamson and Colburne were also on the winning end together of an all-Canadian final in Bloomington, Indiana, beating another all-Canadian pair, Rafael Bote and Antoine Généreux, in the final.  

Here are the Canadian finalists from WT Junior Tour events outside of Canada over the last month (titles in bold):

• Joshua Adamson: J200 Monterrey boys singles champion (d. Colburne), J100 Bloomington boys doubles champion (w/ Colburne, d. Bote/Généreux)
• Caden Colburne: J100 Bloomington boys doubles champion (w/ Adamson, d. Bote/Généreux), J200 Monterrey boys singles runner-up (l. To Adamson)
• Avery Alexander: J200 Mason girls singles champion (d. Mercier)
• Jerry Han: J100 Guatemala boys doubles champion
• Brielle Amey: J30 Manchester girls singles champion
• Aidan Tait: J30 Nairobi boys doubles champion
• Rafael Bote: J100 Bloomington boys singles runner-up, J100 Bloomington boys doubles runner-up (w/ Généreux, l. to Adamson/Colburne)
• Laurence Demers: J30 Huamantla 1 girls singles runner-up, J30 Huamantla 2 girls singles runner-up, J30 Huamantla 1 girls doubles runner-up
• Clémence Mercier: J200 Mason girls singles runner-up (l. To Alexander)
• Elicia Lin: J200 Monterrey girls doubles runner-up
• Antoine Généreux: J100 Bloomington boys doubles runner-up (w/ Bote, l. to Adamson/Colburne)
• Andrea Taylor: J100 Boca del Rio girls doubles runner-up

Rankings Update

Thanks to his win in Monterrey, Joshua Adamson is into the Top 100 of the WT junior rankings at No. 97, joining Felix Roussel (77), Xavier Massotte (66), and Benjamin Azar (57). Lagaev remains the top Canadian at No. 41, though Avery Alexander is gaining ground after climbing up to No. 65. 

Check out the full ITF junior rankings here.

The Davis Cup is coming to Quebec City September 18 and 19 as Team Canada hosts France in the Davis Cup Qualifiers Second Round. Tickets are on sale now. CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR TICKETS! 

Feature Photo : Tennis Canada