Between ITF junior events and the U15 prospect camps that took place over the last month, it has been a busy few weeks for the future of Canadian tennis.
Here is your monthly junior update presented by Har-Tru.
U15 Prospects Take Centre Stage
During the month of May, Tennis Canada hosted three development camps for the members of the U15 prospect team. The first of the three camps led into the ITF J30 event in Halifax, where many members of the U15 prospect team competed.
Prospect team member Eve Thibault, age 14, managed to pick up a title in Halifax in the girls doubles alongside fellow Canadian Emy Gauvin. It was the second ITF junior doubles title of Thibault’s career. Two other camps followed in Toronto at Sobeys Stadium, where former doubles world No. 1 Daniel Nestor stopped by for a clinic, and in Montreal at IGA Stadium.
The camps are based on the Whole Player Development Pathway and designed to reinforce fundamentals and help young players reach their highest potential as they continue their development as tennis players, with the ultimate goal being a successful professional career.
Domestic Events
It was a busy month for the ITF junior circuit in Canada with five stops on the ITF junior tour in the Great White North, including the one in Halifax:
Here is the full list of champions at the Canadian ITF Junior events over the last month (all Canadian unless otherwise noted):
| Boys Singles | Girls Singles | Boys Doubles | Girls Doubles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikael Arseneault | Anna Tabunshchyk | Mikael Arseneault/Finn Muller | Brooke Feth/Anna Tabunshchyk |
| Felix Roussel | Anastasia Pleksun | Patricio Jimenez Alcocer (MEX)/Adam Patry | Emy Gauvin/Eve Thibault |
| Volodymyr Gurenko | Carrie-Ann Hoo (USA) | Volodymyr Gurenko/Eric William Wang | Bianca Ceroni/Carrie-Ann Hoo (USA) |
| Felix Roussel | Leena Friedman (USA) | Simon Caldwell (USA)/Zachary Cohen (USA) | Leena Friedman (USA)/Vessa Turley (USA) |
| Miko Lapalme | Olivia Traynor (USA) | Volodymyr Gurenko/Eric William Wang | Brooke Feth/Anna Tabunshchyk |
Other ITF Events
A couple of J30 events in Christiansted in the United States Virgin Islands saw considerable success for the Canadians.
Roland-Garros
The second junior Grand Slam of the year took place over the last week, with Keegan Rice serving as Canada’s lone representative.
The Canadian lost in the first round of the doubles with Czech Petr Brunclik to the fourth-seeded American pair of Kaylan Bigun and Jagger Leach
Here is the full list of Canadians who reached finals at events outside of Canada over the last month (Titles in bold)
- Avery Alexander: J30 Christiansted 1 girls singles champion, J30 Christiansted 2 girls singles runner-up, J30 Christiansted 1 girls doubles champion (w/ Demers),
- Laurence Demers: J30 Chistiansted 1 girls singles runner-up, J30 Christiansted girls doubles champion (w/ Alexander)
- Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett: J30 Christiansted 2 girls singles champion, J30 Christiansted 2 girls doubles champion
- …
Rankings Update
After the French Open, Rice fell out to the Top 100 to No. 103 in the ITF junior rankings, although he remains the top Canadian boy.
Nadia Lagaev is now the top Canadian overall, coming in at No. 87 in the girls rankings.
Check out the full ITF junior rankings here.
