News

17/06/11

16th Smrikva Bowl 2011 Press Release for the local media

SVIM MEDIJIMA

Pula, 17. lipanj 2010

Tenis klub „Smrikve“ iz Pule, Štinjanska cesta 91, na svojim terenima od 21. do 25. lipnja 2011. godine organizira tradicionalno međunarodno sportsko natjecanje – 16.ti „Smrikva Bowl“ 2011 – jedan od najprestižnijih teniskih susreta do 10 godina u svijetu, na kojem će sudjelovati stotinjak talenata iz 30-tak zemalja svijeta. (http://www.smrikve.com/smrikva-bowl/)

Smrikva se rađa s idejom „nešto više od tenisa“ i od svog osnivanja 1996.godine privukla je preko 1200 talenata, iz 50 zemalja svijeta i sa svih kontinenata…

Iz ovogodišnjeg programa izdvajamo:

21.06.2011.

8:30 – svečano otvaranje

22.06.2011

18:00 – čin postajanja Ambasadora Smrikva Bowl-a, sadnja masline, dodjela poklona i povelja Ambasadorima, predstavljanje knjiga Ambasadora te predstavljanje kulturnog vodiča „Istria from Smrikve“

23.06.2011

18:00 – Smrikva Bowl Forum

24.06.2011

9:00 – četvrtfinale
13:00 – posjet Nacionalnom Parku Brijuni
17:00 – polufinale

25.06.2011

9:00 – finale
13:00 – svečana dodjela nagrada i zatvaranje Smrikva Bowl-a

Smrikva Bowl živi na radu volontera i dugogodišnjih prijatelja Smrikve kojima idu posebne zahvale.

TENIS KLUB SMRIKVE

Kontakt: Miodrag Božović
Press: Rossana Matejčić – Miljević

17/06/11

Top Smrikva Bowl and "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players on ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA and European under 14 and 16 ranking lists (update June 2011)

Only top Smrikva Bowl players that reached certain results on the professional ranking list are mentioned below and the top Smrikva Bowl players that are still competing in the junior tennis.

IN 1996 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM ISTRIA AND KVARNER (1st Smrikva Bowl)

BOYS
Vilim Visak, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006.

IN 1997 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM CROATIA (1997 – 2nd Smrikva Bowl)

GIRLS
Ivana Lisjak, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #268 on WTA list. Ivana’s best ranking was #95 on WTA list in June 2006.

IN 1998 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT (3rd Smrikva Bowl)

1999 – 4th Smrikva Bowl

GIRLS
Astrid Besser, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Italy, her best ranking was #356 on WTA list in March 2009.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl

GIRLS
Tereza MRDEZA, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, is currently ranked #592 on WTA list and her best ranking was #279 on WTA list in February 2010.

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #1394 on ATP ranking list.
Dino Marcan, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #608 on ATP ranking list.

GIRLS
Petra MARTIC, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #100 on WTA list. Petra’s best raning was #63 on WTA list in April 2010.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #674 on WTA list.

IN 2002 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE A EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

2002 – 7th Smrikva Bowl and 1st”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Javier MARTI, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Spain, is currently ranked #234 on ATP list.
Giacomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, was ranked #1826 on ATP list in May 2009.

GIRLS
Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #467 on WTA ranking list.
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #166 on WTA list.
Ema BURGIC, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #805 on WTA list.

2003 – 8th Smrikva Bowl and 2nd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Dominic THIEM, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Austria, is ranked #900 on ATP ranking list. Junior ROLAND GARROS 2011 finalist.
George MORGAN, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #999 on ATP ranking list. Under 18 DUNLOP ORANGE BOWL 2010 winner.
Ciprian PORUMB, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, was ranked #195 on ITF ranking list in March 2010.

GIRLS
Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, was ranked #1187 on WTA list.
Silvia NJIRIC, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #518 on WTA list.
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Croatia, is ranked #166 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Emmett EGGER, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #98 on ITF ranking list.

2004 – 9th Smrikva Bowl and 3rd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #924 on ITF ranking list.
Miki JANKOVIC, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #45 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Saska GAVRILOVSKA, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #74 on ITF ranking list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Mitchel POLNET, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #247 on ITF ranking list.

Blair SHANKLE, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #207 on ITF ranking list.
Anna MAMALAT, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #524 on WTA ranking list.

IN 2005 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 3 CONTINENTS

2005 – 10th Smrikva Bowl and 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Matteo DONATI, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Italy, is ranked #151 on ITF ranking list.
Laslo DJERE, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #303 on ITF ranking list.
Gianluigi QUINZI, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #93 on ITF ranking list.
Nikola MILOJEVIC, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 Consolation tournament winner, from Serbia, is ranked #23 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Saska GAVRILOVSKA, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #74 on ITF ranking list.
Olga IANCHUK, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Ukraine, is ranked #1146 on WTA list, and is ranked #95 on ITF ranking list.
Irina Maria BARA, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 player, from Romania, is ranked #143 on ITF ranking list.
Donna VEKIC, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 player, from Croatia, is ranked #843 on WTA list*and is ranked #*36 on ITF ranking list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Jeffrey Schorsch, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked on ITF ranking list.
Jose Gracia, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked on ITF ranking list.
Yale Goldberg, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked on ITF ranking list.

Dorothy Tang, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked on ITF ranking list.

2006 – 11th Smrikva Bowl and 5th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Gianluigi QUINZI, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #93 on ITF ranking list.
Filip Kraljevic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #536 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

GIRLS
Eleanor DEAN, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #132 on ITF ranking list.
Dina Paocic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #1229 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Daniel Maese, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is still not ranked on ITF ranking list.
Aries Wong, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is still not ranked on ITF ranking list.

Christina MAKAROVA, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #43 on ITF ranking list.
Gabriella Umoquit, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is still not ranked on ITF ranking list.

2007 – 12th Smrikva Bowl and 6th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Sacha MERZETTI, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Italy, is ranked #13 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Bogdan BORZA, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Romania, is ranked #2 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gonzalo MORELL, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Spain, is ranked #65 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Sergiu BUCUR, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Romania, is ranked #11 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.

GIRLS
Ana KONJUH, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #5 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Nina POTOCNIK, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Slovenia, is ranked #31 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Eduardo NAVA, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #8 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Tommy PAUL, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #9 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

Ndindi NDUNDA, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #3 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Domonique Garley, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #342 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

IN 2008 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 5 CONTINENTS AND TURNED INTO A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2008 – 13th Smrikva Bowl and 7th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Luka PANIC, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Switzerland, is ranked #344 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Mihnea Turcu, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Romania, is ranked #591 in Europe in under 14 european ranking list.
Grega KOKALJ, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovenia, is ranked *#182 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Andrea Guerrieri, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Italy, is ranked #439 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

GIRLS
Katarina JOKIC, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked *#27 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*. Under 12 EDDIE HERR INTERNATIONAL 2010 winner.
Maia LUMSDEN, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Scotland, is ranked #37 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Viktoria KUZMOVA, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovakia, is ranked #24 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Estela Perez Somarriba, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Spain, is still not ranked on under 14 european ranking list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Justin LEE, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #367 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
William BLUMBERG, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked *#503 in the USA in under 12 cathegory*.

Ingrid NEEL, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #47 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Paulina Ferrari, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #410 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

IN 2009 SMRIKVA BOWL HAD 6 NEW COUNTRIES AND 1 NEW CONTINENT THUS REACHED THE TOTAL OF 40 COUNTRIES AND 6 CONTINENTS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE TOURNAMENT SINCE ITS FOUNDATION

2009 – 14th Smrikva Bowl and 8th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Alvaro Regalado Pedrol, 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 winner, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Samuele Ramazzotti, 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 runner up, from Italy, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Karlo SUEVICH, ranked 3rd on 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009, from Slovenia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Alejandro Davidovich, ranked 3rd on 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

GIRLS
Katie Swan, 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 winner, from United Kingdom, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Jovana Vukovic, 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 runner up, from Serbia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Inci Ogut, ranked 3rd on 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009, from Turkey, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Arianna Capogrosso, ranked 3rd on 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009, from Italy, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Noah SCHACHTER, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #3 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Alex Gee, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #43 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Michaela GORDON, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #12 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Ashley LAHEY, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked *#69 in the USA in under 12 cathegory*.

IN 2010 SMRIKVA BOWL HAD 9 NEW COUNTRIES AND REACHED THE TOTAL OF 49 COUNTRIES THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE TOURNAMENT SINCE ITS FOUNDATION

2010 – 15th Smrikva Bowl and 9th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Nicola KUHN, 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010 winner, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Karlo SUEVICH, 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010 runner up, from Croatia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Yshai OLIEL, ranked 3rd on 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010, from Israel, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Andrei Taica Radu, ranked 3rd on 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010, from Romania, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

GIRLS
Jovana VUKOVIC, 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010 winner, from Serbia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Paula Arias Manjon, 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010 runner up, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Neli Sunjic, ranked 3rd on 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010, from Croatia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Kristina Novak, ranked 3rd on 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010, from Italy, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Max Motlagh, played 9th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #724 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Claire LIU, played 9th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #15 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Alexa Butera, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked *#163 in the USA in under 12 cathegory*.

Please visit www.smrikve.com to learn more about Smrikve, Istria from Smrikve, Smrikva Bowl, one of the most important under 10 tennis tournaments in the World, and Villa Smrikve, for your accommodation with swimming pool in Stinjan (Pula – Pola) if you decide to spent your holiday in Istria, Croatia.

16/06/11

Smrikva Bowl players - Borna Coric and Ivana Jorovic - reached the finals of 47th Trophy Avvenire in Milan (Italy) - one of the most prestigious under 16 tournaments in the World, while Ana Konjuh and Georgia Marchetti reached the semifinals

Smrikva Bowl players – Ivana Jorovic and Borna Coric – reached the finals of 47th Trophy Avvenire in Milan (Italy), while Ana Konjuh and Georgia Marchetti reached the semifinals and Giulia Pairone the quarterfinals!

Great result of the Smrikva Bowl players considering the fact that Torneo Avvenire is considered one of the most prestigious under 16 tennis tournaments in the World.

I am pleased to share the results of the players that reached the best results in Milan.

Borna Coric’s road to the finals at 47th edition of Torneo Avvenire played in Milan was the following:

1st round: Borna Coric – Oleksandr GULYEVSKYY (Ukr) 6:2, 6:2
2nd round: Borna Coric – Marc COLLADO CASTELLS (Esp) 6:3,6:1
3rd round: Borna Coric – Daniel KERZNERMAN (Usa) 6:0, 6:2
Quarterfinals: Borna Coric – Noah RUBIN (Usa) 7:6, 6:4
Semifinals: Borna Coric – Filippo BALDI (Ita) 5:7, 6:4, 6:2
Finals: Borna Coric -A.ALCARAZ IVORRA (Esp) 1:6, 0:6

Ivana Jorovic’s road to the finals at 47th edition of Torneo Avvenire played in Milan was the following:

1st round: Ivana Jorovic – Tatjana VOROBJOVA (Est) 6:4,5:7,6:2
2nd round: Ivana Jorovic – Claudia MARINI (Ita) 6:2, 6:2
3rd round: Ivana Jorovic – Stephanie Mariel PETIT (Arg) 6:2,7:5
Quarterfinals: Ivana Jorovic – Polina NOVOSELOVA (Rus) 6:2, 6:3
Semifinals: Ivana Jorovic – Ana KONJUH (Cro) 6:3, 6:4
Finals: Ivana Jorovic – Jelena OSTAPENKO (Lva) 5:7, 2:6

The other top former Smrikva Bowl players in the Girls Draw reached the following results:

Ana Konjuh (CRO) – semifinals, Georgia Marchetti (Ita) – semifinals, Giulia Pairone (ITA) – quarterfinals, Dea Herdzelas (BiH) – 1st round, Bianka Bekefi (Hun) – 2nd round, Jana Fett (Cro) – 3rd round, Silvia Chinelato (Ita) – 2nd round.

In the boys Main Draw former Smrikva Bowl players reached the following:

Ivan Divkovic (Cro) – 2nd round, Robert Dula (Cro) – 2nd round, Sacha Merzetti (Ita) – 1st round, Neven Krivokuca (Cro) – 2nd round.

Congratulations!

14/06/11

Few words about inspiring... dedicated to the 16th Smrikva Bowl 2011 players...

In a week time the 16th Smrikva Bowl 2011 will start and most of the 16th Smrikva Bowl 2011 players and families are making their final preparations for their trip towards Smrikve… Pula… Istria… Croatia… Europe… and some of them are already on the road…

The following note was written some times ago… and are welcome words from Smrikve to the 16th Smrikva Bowl 2011 tennis talents gathering edition…

Smrikve, January 2010

INSPIRING…

When I think of Smrikva Bowl I try to imagine it as a theatre where every year we work hard to set a stage where the world’s talents can gather… Every year we gather all this different actors, great talents, very special kids, arriving from different cultures, having different dreams,...

We set the stage and later on they are in charge with their will, dreams and hard work… they are the ones who write the most different stories…

Smrikva Bowl is still very young tournament but I would like to think that some of these kids will write nice and inspiring stories in most different professional fields.

I also know that according to the statistics only few of the kids participating Smrikva Bowl will make it to become top professional tennis players, but I like to think that they will make it in other professional fields they choose in their lives.

I was recently reading Andre Agassi’s book and throught the whole book he was repeating to friends and people meeting during his life that he doesn’t like tennis thus it seems to me that he never had the option to choose, but in end he ended up being the Champion and according to Luke Jensen a person with big heart and very good friend.

I will never know how many kids playing Smrikva Bowl are playing it because their parents would like them to become professional tennis players and how mutch of them play it because they enjoy the game.

What I do know is that any kind of sport can help kids in their growth and I also know that people that do excel in any field require total dedication and a lot of sacrifice to reach the excellence.

When I think of Andre’s words of not loving what he was doing for most of the time of his life I start thinking of other 90% of people around the World that make for living doing jobs they do not like, but “La vita e’ bella” Roberto Benigni would say and tennis helped Andre to grow up.

There is one part in the book that I liked a lot… it is about inspiration, faith and what does it mean to be a good coach... to have the right word in the right moment… this part is related with Gil… and is about people that do beleive in other people and help them to write their life stories and to write their own one…

Here are Gil’s words reported by Andre in his book when he accepted to caoch him:

“I’m not one of those people who expresses or articulates feelings very well, but from now on, just know this: It’s on, man. It is on.

You know what I’m saying? We’are in a fight, and you can count on me until the last man is standing. Somewhere up there is a star with your name on it. I might not be able to help you find it, but I’ve got pretty strong shoulders, and you can stand on my shoulders while you’re looking for that star. You hear? For as long as you want. Stand on my shoulders and reach, man. Reach.”

In every life there are people that influence what we do and how we do it.

The Smrikva Bowl festival would like to inspire its players and Ambassadors to beleive in their dreams and work hard to reach them.

Sport and music are in general good educators and the vision of sport prefered in Smrikve is the one Nelson Mandela once said:

“Sport has the power to change the world, the power to inspire and the power to unite people in a way little else can – it is an instrument of peace.”

Miodrag Bozovic

13/06/11

For the 16th Smrikva Bowl 2011 players: directions for the Smrikve Tennis Club and Villa Smrikve if you arrive by car…

From the highway that goes towards Pula you need to exit the highway in Vodnjan (Brijuni Islands)...

...than drive another 10 km straight forward (on your left side you will pass nearby 3 gasoline station)...

and when you arrive to the third gasoline station turn right following Fazana (Brijuni) directions…

...drive another 1 km and turn left towards *Stinjan*…

...after 500 meters you will arrive to the Smrikve Tennis Club and Villa Smrikve.

10/06/11

Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, reached the semifinals of Copenhagen 2011 - Denmark (USD 220.000)

Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, is the best ranked former Smrikva Bowl player on WTA – #112 on WTA list.

This week she played great tennis in Copenhagen – Denmark and reached the semifinals of USD 220.000 worth tournament played there.

Petra Martic road towards her semifinals in Copenhagen 2011 was the following:

1st round: Petra Martic – Vitalia DIATCHENKO (RUS) 6:2, 6:2
2nd round: Petra Martic – Simona HALEP (ROU) 6:3, 5:7, 7:5
Quarterfinals: P.Martic – Alona BONDARENKO (UKR) 6:4, 3:6, 6:3
Semifinals: Petra Martic-Lucie SAFAROVA (CZE) 6:1,4:6,2:6

The ranking of the players that Petra played is the following:

Vitalia DIATCHENKO (RUS) – # 167 WTA list
Simona HALEP (ROU) – # 60 WTA list
Alona BONDARENKO (UKR) – # 114 WTA list
Lucie SAFAROVA (CZE) – # 38 WTA list

Congratulations Petra!

03/06/11

Smrikva Bowl players on JUNIOR KOPER OPEN 2011 - under 12: Miomir Kecmanovic and Anastasia Mikheeva are the winners; Arianna Capogrosso played the finals, while Kristina Novak reached the semifinals...

Last week Anastasia Mikheeva, Smrikva Bowl player and this year OPEN SUPER 12 AURAY 2011 winner was in Smrikve preparing for the tournament played this week in Kopar in Slovenia…

On Sunday, last year Smrikva Bowl winner and 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 finalist, Jovana Vukovic JOKA joined her in Smrikve thus they had the opportunity to play a bit together and share an ice-cream :)... because JOKA was on her road to Kopar too…

There were many top Smrikva Bowl players in the Main Draw, on top of the players mentioned above, that I am pleased to recall and that reached the quarterfinals and more: such as Kristina Novak, last year Smrikva Bowl semifinalist, Miomir Kecmanovic – KECA, who likes to spend his summer training vacation in Smrikve with her friend Nina, Karlo Suevich last year Smrikva Bowl finalist, Giulia Turconi, Arianna Capogrosso...

Detailed results of the Smrikva Bowl players on this year JUNIOR KOPER OPEN 2011 are the following:

GIRLS:

Anastasia MIKHEEVA (Uk) – 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 player
1st round: Anastasia Mikheeva – bye
2nd round: Anastasia Mikheeva – Lisa PICCINETTI (Ita) 6:0, 6:1
3rd round: Anastasia Mikheeva – Lian BENEDEJCIC (Slo) 6:1, 6:0
Quarterfinals: Anastasia Mikheeva – Stefany GRLJ (Slo) 6:1, 6:2
Semifinals: A.Mikheeva – Kristina NOVAK (Slo) 6:4, 6:0
Ffinals: Anastasia Mikheeva – A.CAPOGROSSO (Ita) 6:4, 6:3

Arianna CAPOGROSSO (I)-14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 semifinalist
1st round: Arianna Capogrosso – bye
2nd round: A.Capogrosso – Hella Linda SEPMAN (Est) 6:0,6:0
3rd round: Arianna Capogrosso – Iva GABOR (Slo) 6:1, 6:0
Quarterfinals: A.Capogrosso – Camilla CIACCIA (Ita) 6:1, 6:0
Semifinals: A. Capogrosso – K. KAMSKAYA (Rus) 6:2, 6:0
Finals: A. Capogrosso – Anastasia MIKHEEVA (Uk) 4:6, 3:6

Kristina NOVAK (Slo) – 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010 semifinalist
1st round: Kristina Novak – bye
2nd round: Kristina Novak- Chiara CATINI (Ita) 6:1, 0:6, 6:0
3rd round: Kristina Novak- Anja GAL (Slo) 6:2, 6:0
Quarterfinals: Kristina Novak – Giulia TURCONI (Ita) 6:2, 6:4
Semifinals: Kristina Novak – A.MIKHEEVA (UK) 4:6, 0:6

Jovana VUKOVIC – JOKA (Srb) – 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010 winner and 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 runner up
1st round: Jovana Vukovic – bye
2nd round: Jovana Vukovic – Urska VELEC (Slo) 6:0, 6:0
3rd round: Jovana Vukovic – Nika RADISIC (Slo) 6:3, 6:0
Quarterfinals: J. Vukovic – Kristina KAMSKAYA (Rus) 6:7, 3:6

Giulia TURCONI (Ita) – 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 player
1st round: Giulia Turconi – Lara JAMSEK (Slo) 6:0, 6:1
2nd round: Giulia Turconi – Anja TRBEZNIK (Slo) 6:1, 6:0
3rd round: Giulia Turconi – Csenge FURAK (Hun) 6:0, 6:4
Quarterfinals: Giulia Turconi – Kristina NOVAK (Slo) 2:6, 4:6

The other Smrikva Bowl players that I recognized in the girls draw that did not reached the quarterfinals are: Tina Cvetkovic (1st round), Andja Karanusic (3rd round), Anja Gal (3rd round) and Benedetta Ivaldi (1st round).

BOYS:

Miomir KECMANOVIC (Srb) – 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 player
1st round: Miomir Kecmanovic – Gabriele FAVA (Ita) 6:0, 6:0
2nd round: Miomir Kecmanovic – Vito TONEJC (Cro) 6:0, 6:0
3rd round: Miomir Kecmanovic-Yan BONDAREVSKIY (Rus) 6:0,6:1
Quarterfinals: Miomir Kecmanovic – Lenard SOHA (Hun) 7:6, 6:1
Semifinals: Miomir Kecmanovic – A.STRADI (Ita) 6:2, 6:1
Finals: Miomir Kecmanovic – Zsombor PIROS (Hun) 6:3, 6:1

Karlo SUEVICH (Cro) – 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010 finalist
1st round: Karlo Suevich – Mark MESARIC (Slo) 6:0, 6:1
2nd round: Karlo Suevich – Benjamin GRABER (Aut) 6:2, 6:3
3rd round: Karlo Suevich – Jan VEHOVEC (Slo) 6:0, 6:1
Quarterfinals: K. Suevich – Alessandro STRADI (Ita) 1:6, 3:6

Karlo DIVKOVIC (Cro) – 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 player
1st round: Karlo Divkovic – Simon S.KEUSCHNIG (Aut) 6:1, 6:0
2nd round: Karlo Divkovic – Bence TAMAS (Hun) 6:0, 6:1
3rd round: Karlo Divkovic – Zan GORENEC DIEMAT (Slo) 6:1, 7:6
Quarterfinals: Karlo Divkovic – Gabriel HUBER (Aut) 0:6, 3:6

The other Smrikva Bowl players that I recognized in the boys draw that did not reached the quarterfinals are: Vito Tonejc (2nd round), Matic Zaplotnik (2nd round), Matic Podlipnik (2nd round), Renzo Paro (1st round), Andrej Omeragic (3rd round), Jan Kupcic (1st round), Borna Cilic Kraljevic (3rd round) and Alen Mujanovic (1st round).

31/05/11

Smrikva Bowl players on Junior Roland Garros: Dominic THIEM, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, reached the FINALS, while Robin Kern and Miki Jankovic, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2010 runner up, reached the quarterfinals

There were several Smrikva Bowl players that I saw competing in the Main Draw of this year Junior Roland Garros 2011… actually the exact number is 10… and this morning I received an e-mail from a Smrikva Bowl friend who was saying that the Draw was full of the Smrikva Bowl Boys and Girls :)...

Dominic THIEM reached the FINALS while Miki Jankovic and Robin Kern reached the quarterfinals.

Combining the two draws (boys and girls) you get a total of 128 players, and the fact that there were 10 players in the Main Draw is a pleasure to read… many years have passed since they played their Smrikva Bowl and they are still competing at high level…

In the Main Draw there were 3 players in the quarterfinals which is really a great result!

In the following you can read more detailed results related to former Smrikva Bowl players on this year Junior Roland Garros played in Paris:

Boys:

Dominic Thiem (Aut) – 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner
1st round: Dominic Thiem – Kyle Edmund (GBR) 6:3, 6:2
2nd round: Dominic Thiem – Mitchell Krueger (USA) 6:3, 6:2
3rd round: Dominic Thiem – Filip Horansky (SVK) 6:4, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Dominic Thiem – Oriol Roca Batalla (ESP) 6:3,6:2
Semifinals: Dominic Thiem – Mate Delic (CRO) 3:6, 6:3, 6:1
Finals: Dominic Thiem – Bjorn Fratangelo (USA) 6:3, 3:6, 6:8

Miki Jankovic (Srb) – 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up
1st round: Miki Jankovic – Wayne Montgomery (RSA) 7:5, 6:2
2nd round: Miki Jankovic – Bruno Sant’Anna (BRA) 7:5, 6:4
3rd round: Miki Jankovic – Yaraslau Shyla (BLR) 3:6, 7:5, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Miki Jankovic – Mate Delic (CRO) 2:6, 5:7

Robin Kern (Ger) – 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 player
1st round: Robin Kern – Teodor Nicolae Marin (ROU) 6:3, 6:1
2nd round: Robin Kern – A.Artunedo Martinavarr (ESP) 6:1, 6:2
3rd round: Robin Kern – Lukas Vrnak (CZE) 7:6, 6:0
Quarterfinals: Robin Kern – Tristan Lamasine (FRA) 4:6, 6:7

George Morgan (UK) – 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up
1st round: George Morgan – Mate Delic (CRO) 7:6, 6:7, 5:7

Gianluigi Quinzi (Ita) – 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner
1st round: Gianluigi Quinzi – Sean Berman (AUS) 6:1, 5:7, 5:7

Filip Veger (Cro) – 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 player
1st round: Filip Veger – Andrew Whittington (AUS) 6:7, 4:6

Nikola Milojevic (Srb) – 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 consolation draw winner
1st round: Nikola Milojevic – A.Alvarez Llamas (ESP) 6:7,6:2,4:6

Girls:

Donna Vekic (CRO) – Smrikva Bowl player
1st round: Donna Vekic – Chloe Paquet (FRA) 6:2, 6:2
2nd round: Donna Vekic – Miyu Kato (JPN) 4:6, 6:1, 6:4
3rd round: Donna Vekic – Irina Khromacheva (RUS) 4:6, 2:6

Ilka Csoregi(Rom) – 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 semifinalists
1st round: Ilka Csoregi – Lea Tholey (FRA) 6:4, 6:1
2nd round: Ilka Csoregi – Danka Kovinic (MNE) 6:7, 1:6

Christina Makarova (USA) – 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2006 player
1st round: Christina Makarova – Irina Khromacheva (RUS) 2:6,1:6

30/05/11

Jovana Vukovic - JOKA, 15th Smrikva Bowl 2010 winner, visited Smrikve and met with Anastasia Mikheeva, this year winner of Open Super 12 AURAY 2011 :)

I shared with Smrikve community the news that last week Anastasia Mikheeva was preparing for a tournament in Smrikve… and the same night when I posted the news I received a phone call from Vukovic family that was on their road to Kopar in Slovenia…

Jovana Vukovic JOKA is going to the same tournament Anastasia was preparing for and they decided to change a little bit their route and come to say hello to us in Smrikve :)...

On Saturday Anastasia had her 12th birtdhay… but she trained all day and we left for the Sunday launch time the ice-cream celebration moment :)...

WHY ICE-CREAM? :)

When Anastasia came to Smrikve the first thing she told me she remembered from her Smrikva Bowl was the ice-cream :)...

Jovana Vukovic – JOKA played Smrikva Bowl twice. In 2010 she won the tournament and in 2009 she played the finals against Katie Swan...

Katie is Anastasia’s friend and UK team member, together with another Smrikva Bowl player, Georgina Axon... thus JOKA and Anastasia had the opportunity to exchange news on common friends…

In Smrikve Anastasia had the opportunity to play with Silvia and Ari during her stay, and on Sunday she was scheduled to play with *Max... with JOKA’s surprise we decided that Max would play one set and JOKA would play the second set… and this was the first time for JOKA and Mikheeva to play…

It was great to have in Smrikve two former Smikva Bowl girls that dedicate so much of their time to build the talent… today there are still among top girls in their age groups in the World…

In end we finished the family gathering around the table with a good launch and the ice-cream for Mikheeva’s birthday… :)... the cat Johnny was also behind enjoying the moment…

The girls also decided to play doubles together in Kopar… thus BEST WISHES GIRLS!!! :)

28/05/11

Anastasia Mikheeva, former Smrikva Bowl player and the winner of Open Super 12 AURAY 2011, is spending some time in Smrikve... preparing for her clay season

I am pleased to share with Smrikve community the news that this week Anastasia Mikheeva is preparing for a tournament in Smrikve.

Anastasia played Smrikva Bowl in 2007 and is living in Edinburg (Scotland) thus she is more used to play on hard courts and her father Andrei, who also coach her, decided to bring her to Smrikve and take the opportunity to practice a bit on clay.

It is always a pleasure to meet former Smrikva Bowl players growing the way Anastasia does, and years after Smrivka Bowl, being in tennis the way she is…

I promissed to Andrei to organize some training matches for Anastasia thus already two other Smrikva Bowl players that are training with me Ari and Silvia have the opportunity to enjoy each other game :)... and as soon as Max return from his school vacation he will play with Anastasia too…

I am pleased to recall that Anastasia Mikheeva is one of the best players in her age group in the World and she won this year OPEN SUPER 12 AURAY.

OPEN SUPER 12 AURAY is played since 1985 and many top world players played this tournament considered one of the most important under 12 International Tournaments in the World.

Some of the known names are: Les Français Richard GASQUET, Gaël MONFILS, Paul-Henri MATHIEU, Julien BENNETEAU, Tommy ROBREDO, Raphaël NADAL, Mickaël YOUZNY, Féliciano LOPEZ, Amélie MAURESMO, Justine HENIN, Kim CLIJSTERS and Dinara SAFINA.

Last year winner of the girls draw was Maia LUMSDEN, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Scotland while this year OPEN SUPER 12 AURAY 2011 winner was Anastasia MIKHEEVA 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 player. Anastasia Mikheeva was among the very few players that played Smrikva Bowl at age of 8 years.

Detailed results of her performance on this year OPEN Super 12 – AURAY 2011 was the following:

Anastasia MIKHEEVA (Uk) – 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 player
1st round: Anastasia Mikheeva – Kelia LE BIHAN (Fra) 6:0, 6:0
2nd round: Anastasia Mikheeva – Pauline DORE (Fra) 6:1, 6:0
3rd round: Anastasia Mikheeva – Inci Ogut (Tur) 6:1, 6:2
Quarterfinals: Anastasia Mikheeva – D.GINOCCHIO (I) 6:4, 6:4
Semifinals: A.Mikheeva – M. VONDROUSOVA (Cze) 6:1, 7:6
Finals: Anastasia Mikheeva -Anna SLOVAKOVA (Cze) 6:2,7:5

Meeting of the former Smrikva Bowl players has another beauty… it is a way to learn more about former Smrikva Bowl players around the World because Anastasia is good friend with several other top Smrikva Bowl players :)...

12/05/11

Top Smrikva Bowl and "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players on ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA and European under 14 and 16 ranking lists (update May 2011)

Only top Smrikva Bowl players that reached certain results on the professional ranking list are mentioned below and the top Smrikva Bowl players that are still competing in the junior tennis.

IN 1996 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM ISTRIA AND KVARNER (1st Smrikva Bowl)

BOYS
Vilim Visak, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006.

IN 1997 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM CROATIA (1997 – 2nd Smrikva Bowl)

GIRLS
Ivana Lisjak, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #258 on WTA list. Ivana’s best ranking was #95 on WTA list in June 2006.

IN 1998 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT (3rd Smrikva Bowl)

1999 – 4th Smrikva Bowl

GIRLS
Astrid Besser, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Italy, her best ranking was #356 on WTA list in March 2009.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl

GIRLS
Tereza MRDEZA, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, her best ranking was #279 on WTA list in February 2010.

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #1366 on ATP ranking list.
Dino Marcan, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #643 on ATP ranking list.

GIRLS
Petra MARTIC, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #114 on WTA list. Petra’s best raning was #63 on WTA list in April 2010.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #648 on WTA list.

IN 2002 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE A EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

2002 – 7th Smrikva Bowl and 1st”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Javier MARTI, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Spain, is currently ranked #245 on ATP list.
Giacomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, was ranked #1760 on ATP list in May 2009.

GIRLS
Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #433 on WTA ranking list.
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #169 on WTA list.
Ema BURGIC, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #729 on WTA list.

2003 – 8th Smrikva Bowl and 2nd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Dominic THIEM, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Austria, is ranked #920 on ATP ranking list and is ranked #3 on ITF ranking list. Under 18 EDDIE HERR INTERNATIONAL 2010 winner.
George MORGAN, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #957 on ATP ranking list and is ranked #7 on ITF ranking list. Under 18 DUNLOP ORANGE BOWL 2010 winner.
Ciprian PORUMB, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, is ranked #800 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, was ranked #1123 on WTA list.
Silvia NJIRIC, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #590 on WTA list.
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Croatia, is ranked #169 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Emmett EGGER, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #89 on ITF ranking list.

2004 – 9th Smrikva Bowl and 3rd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #1174 on ITF ranking list.
Miki JANKOVIC, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #63 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Saska GAVRILOVSKA, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #77 on ITF ranking list.
Ecaterina Oproiu, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Romenia, not ranked on ITF ranking list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Mitchel POLNET, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #207 on ITF ranking list.

Blair SHANKLE, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #211 on ITF ranking list.
Anna MAMALAT, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #416 on WTA ranking list.

IN 2005 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 3 CONTINENTS

2005 – 10th Smrikva Bowl and 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Matteo DONATI, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Italy, is ranked #179 on ITF ranking list.
Laslo DJERE, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #291 on ITF ranking list.
Gianluigi QUINZI, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #92 on ITF ranking list.
Nikola MILOJEVIC, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 Consolation tournament winner, from Serbia, is ranked #21 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Saska GAVRILOVSKA, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #77 on ITF ranking list.
Olga IANCHUK, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Ukraine, is ranked #926 on WTA list, and is ranked #76 on ITF ranking list.
Irina Maria BARA, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 player, from Romania, is ranked #149 on ITF ranking list.
Donna VEKIC, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 player, from Croatia, is ranked #989 on WTA list*and is ranked #*43 on ITF ranking list.

Dorothy Tang, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked on ITF ranking list.

2006 – 11th Smrikva Bowl and 5th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Gianluigi QUINZI, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #92 on ITF ranking list and #2 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
Filip Kraljevic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #470 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

GIRLS
Eleanor DEAN, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #124 on ITF ranking list.
Dina PAOCIC, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #703 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

Christina MAKAROVA, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #46 on ITF ranking list.
Gabriella Umoquit, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is still not ranked on ITF ranking list.

2007 – 12th Smrikva Bowl and 6th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Sacha MERZETTI, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Italy, is ranked #13 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Bogdan BORZA, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Romania, is ranked #4 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gonzalo MORELL, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Spain, is ranked #85 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Sergiu BUCUR, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Romania, is ranked #10 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Eduardo NAVA, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #7 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Tommy PAUL, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #9 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

IN 2008 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 5 CONTINENTS AND TURNED INTO A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2008 – 13th Smrikva Bowl and 7th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Luka PANIC, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Switzerland, is ranked #298 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Mihnea Turcu, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Romania, is still not ranked on under 14 european ranking list.
Grega KOKALJ, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovenia, is ranked *#135 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Andrea Guerrieri, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Italy, is ranked #596 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

GIRLS
Katarina JOKIC, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked *#49 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*. Under 12 EDDIE HERR INTERNATIONAL 2010 winner.
Maia LUMSDEN, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Scotland, is ranked #30 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Viktoria KUZMOVA, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovakia, is ranked #32 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Estela Perez Somarriba, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Spain, is still not ranked on under 14 european ranking list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Justin LEE, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #485 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
William BLUMBERG, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked *#519 in the USA in under 12 cathegory*.

Ingrid NEEL, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #56 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Paulina Ferrari, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #476 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

IN 2009 SMRIKVA BOWL HAD 6 NEW COUNTRIES AND 1 NEW CONTINENT THUS REACHED THE TOTAL OF 40 COUNTRIES AND 6 CONTINENTS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE TOURNAMENT SINCE ITS FOUNDATION

2009 – 14th Smrikva Bowl and 8th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

“Little Mo” TEAM
Noah SCHACHTER, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #2 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Alex Gee, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #49 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Michaela GORDON, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #22 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Ashley LAHEY, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked *#66 in the USA in under 12 cathegory*.

IN 2010 SMRIKVA BOWL HAD 9 NEW COUNTRIES AND REACHED THE TOTAL OF 49 COUNTRIES THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE TOURNAMENT SINCE ITS FOUNDATION

2010 – 15th Smrikva Bowl and 9th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

“Little Mo” TEAM
Max Motlagh, played 9th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #856 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Claire LIU, played 9th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #26 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Alexa Butera, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked *#241 in the USA in under 12 cathegory*.

09/05/11

Deni Zmak and Slaven Ferencic are the winners of the 5th Smrikva Rekreacija 2011 Main Draws, while Car and Milan are the winners of the Consolation Draws. Patricija won the first women Rekreacija Main Draw, while Natasa won the Consolation Draw

In 2009 we established the Spring and Autumn Smrikve Tennis Club Tournament for the recreational players and this weekend the Spring edition – 5th Smrikva Rekreacija 2011 was played.

It was the first time that we organized also a draw for women thus six girls and Leon Jukic, the youngest participant of the tournament, had the possibility to compete in the 1st Smrikva Rekreativke 2011.

We had 36 Smrikve Tennis Club Members split in three draws:
1. Strong recreational players and competitors: Ari, Max, Silvia
2. Recreational players
3. Women group where also Leon – the youngest Smrikve Tennis Club competitor competed

Over two days, starting Saturday morning, there were many nice and competitive matches in a lovely club atmosphere.

Igor Dobranovic and Massimo Stupar – Max openned the tournament on the first court for our strong players group.

Although Max tried to serve his best, Igor’s experience and physical preparation did not allow Max to progress in the semifinals thus he played in the Consolation Draw against Car, another excellent player… for Max this was a great learning opportunity…

Deni Zmak and Ariana Rabac played another great match… Ari played very well but Deni is Deni :)... He was the European under 16 Champion, twice Smrikva Bowl runner up in 1998 and 1999… and around 900 ATP ranked player when he had to leave tennis and start to play with his non dominant hand…

He is a school example for each game element and for Ari and Silvia that had the opportunity to play with him this time was an honour and learing experience...

He said in end that both girls are strong and that he needs for the Autumn tournament to re-start learing again his serve :)...

Sole was another surprise of the tournament… he decided to join the Competitors group and found Silvia in his first round…

Silvia is very talented girl and one of the best girls in her age group in Croatia… strong player and strong personality… and Sole who is another strong personality enjoyed the way Silvia fight on the court :)...

The first day ended very late around 11:30 PM and after the morning semifinals the first final was between Patricija Orlic and Leon in the Main Draw for women.

Leon was honorary player of the group and was fighting like a Lion… Although Patricija reached the finals in her Draw without loosing a game against Leon she fiered for a moment that she might loose and in a very tight and nice match Patricija won in end 6:4, 6:4.

Congratulations to both of them and especially to Leon that surprised Patricija…

after the match she several times congratulated his game.

In the second Consolation final of the strong group Car defeated Ariana 9:4 that played great last three games.

The third match was the Consolation final of the recreational group where Milan Granda defeated Paskvalin 9:2.

The fourth match was the Consolation final of the girls draw between Natasa Horvat and Aleksandra Brecevic... Natasa Horvat won the match 9:4 and the medal for her daughter :)

For Ale this was her first tournament the same as for Natasa, Dea and Leon and in addition Ale is training tennis for less than a month. Congratulations to both girls :)

The fifth final of our Sunday was the match between Slaven Ferencic and Edi Brecevic. For more than two years every week they play together and yesterday they met in the finals that was played in really extreme conditions.

... it was wind and rain… they are both physically prepared but it was the hardest condition they ever had to play…

They are both fighter but Slaven usually win over Edi very tight alsmost every time and before the match Slaven said if today he win all of my victories over the years are worth nothing…

and in end Slaven won but it was really hard for him… 7:5, 3:6, 10:8

The last final in the Main Draw of the strong group was between Deni and Igor.

Deni Zmak was the 3rd Smrikva Bowl 1998 and 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 runner up, former #1 in Europe in under 16 age group category… and a motorbike interupted his career just when he started to enter the professional word…

Deni in end defeated in the finals Igor Dobranovic 6:7, 6:1, 6:0. Igor is our Club strongest recreational player and he did in extreeme conditions a great first set… later on he did not have power to continue with concentration he had during the first set and Deni played really nice… he made a Federer like point that Igor enjoyed too…

In end it was again around 11:00 PM when the long weekend ended in our Konoba :)...

Thanks to each member who played over the weekend for the nice tournament and congratulations to the winners and finalist of this Spring edition!

04/05/11

Ana Ivanovic, Golden Honorary Smrikva Bowl Member, donated again to the 16th Smrikva Bowl 2011 finalists and Smrikve Tennis Club her signed dress, cup and tennis shoes :)... it is her fourth year in the row donation to the Smrikva Bowl...

I’ve just received the gifts for this year Smrikva Bowl finalists from our Golden Honorary Smrikva Bowl Member and Tennis Star Ana Ivanovic :)

Ana Ivanovic is today one of the best tennis players in the World and her funs are spread all over the World… I am very pleased that Ana accepted for the fourth year in the row to donate goods to the Smrikva Bowl finalists thus I am pleased to nominate Ana Ivanovic and her team member Gavin Versi our Golden Honorary Smrikva Bowl Members… Ana and Gavin were the Honorary Smrikva Bowl Members and from this year I am pleased to add the word Golden to their Honorary Membership.

Over the past years Ana donated signed t-shirts to both Smrikva Bowl finalists and our Tennis Club and for the 16th Smrikva Bowl 2011 finalists she decided for something different.

This year Smrikva Bowl winner will get her signed dress and the runner up will get her signed cup while the future Smrikve Lounge living room will have a place where her donated shoes will be exposed as her t-shirts are exposed in Smrikve today.

I am sure that 16th Smrikva Bowl 2011 finalists will love Ana’s gift and I am also sure that this gift will inspire tham to do better and better in tennis.

Ana Ivanovic gave last year an interview to Montenegro Family, the biggest-selling magazine in Montenegro… I am pleased to post her words again because they are of interest for the Smrikva comunity, our Smrikva Bowl talents and the new talents we expect this summer in Smrikve…

When you were five your wish was to play tennis. Today, you are the main reason why many five-years-old kids want to play tennis. For the children you meet, often you’re seen as an idol. How do you feel while meeting them?

It’s one of the biggest honours, I can tell you that. It’s not something I ever thought about when I was trying to become a professional: you dream about winning tournaments and competing in big stadiums, but this is a whole different side to being a professional. I can see that many children look up to athletes and I take my responsibility very seriously. It’s a great honour for me to maybe inspire some kids to play tennis, and I love spending time with children.

Is it true that the dreams come true if you believe in them, considering the fact that you dreamed of winning a Grand Slam…. and the dream came true. Or is more needed for the fulfillment of a dream?

Believing in your goals is definitely the most important thing. If you don’t believe you will achieve them, you have no chance really. It’s also important to have a good support team around you, starting with your family. I have been lucky in that respect: my parents never pushed me into anything, they always understood me and supported me in the best way possible. My management has also done a great job for me. They help me to focus only on tennis.

What advice would you give to the parents whose children want to practise a sport?

The most important thing is that parents are supporting their children, and that children are playing tennis because they want to play it – not because their parents want them to play. If this is the case then I would encourage parents to support their children, never to push them, and to make sure that the child’s happiness is the overall priority.

Ana Ivanovic motto is also “Never stop smiling” :)

An Ana Ivanovic supporter made a nice video named:“That’s Why She’s The One” but it is not any more available and in every part of that video Ana’s smile spread like the sunshine spread through the clouds :)… and when I watched that video for the first time it made me thinkg of Timon and Pumbaa’s motto: “Hakuna Matata” :)… not having that video available any more I found this one which ends with Ana’s moto :)… never stop :))…;)

As I wrote above in 2008 Ana Ivanovic started to donate signed t-shirts to the Smrikva Bowl finalists. Since than she won Roland Garros and reached also the ranking #1 in the World…

Katarina Jokic, Maia Lumsden, Katie Swan, Paula Arias Manon and Jovana Vukovic – JOKA love Ana’s gift and I hope that her gift will inspire tham to do better and better in tennis…

On September 17th, 2007 Ana Ivanovic has been officially named the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Ambassador. On that day, in relation with the nomination, Ana said “This is a great honour for me to be invited to be UNICEF Ambassador. I love children, and I relish this opportunity to help them in some small way.”

With her gifts Ana showed that she loves children and this way she also helps Smirkva Bowl development “in some small way”.

“Sport has the power to change the world, the power to inspire and the power to unite people in a way little else can – it is an instrument of peace.” said Nelson Mandela.

Never Stop Smiling Ana and thank you again from Smrikve and this year finalists! :)

26/04/11

Smrikva Bowl players on 36th City of Florence International Tournament 2011... Saska Gavrilovska, Gianluigi Quinzi and Nik Razborsek reached the semifinals of this prestigious G2 ITF Tournament

There were several Smrikva Bowl players on 36th City of Florence International Tournament 2011… among which the best ranked that reached the semifinals were: Saska Gavrilovska, 9th and 10th Smrikva Bowl 2004 and 2005 winner, from Serbia, Gianluigi Quinzi 11th Smrikva Bowl 2011 winner, and Nik Razborsek, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 player, from Slovenia.

Florence International is a prestigious G2 ITF Tournament and I recognized several other top Smrikva Bowl players in the quarterfinals such as: Matteo Donati, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Italy, Antonio Mastrelia from Italy, and Eleanor Dean, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from UK…

In the following you can read more detailed results:

Boys:

Gianluigi Quinzi (Ita) – 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner
1st round: Gianluigi Quinzi – bye
2nd round: Gianluigi Quinzi – Kamil BENMOUSSA (MAR) 6:0, 6:3
3rd round: Gianluigi Quinzi – Tendai TAPFUMA (ZIM) 6:1, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Gianluigi Quinzi – Patrick ELIAS (GER) 6:3, 6:4
Semifinals: Gianluigi Quinzi – Robin STANEK (CZE) 0:6, 1:6

Nik Razborsek (Slo) – 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 player
1st round: Nik Razborsek – bye
2nd round: Nik Razborsek – Joachim BJERKE (NOR) 6:1, 6:1
3rd round: Razborsek – Christian HIRSCHMUELLER (GER) 7:5,6:1
Quarterfinals: Nik Razborsek – Amerigo CONTINI (ITA) 6:4, 6:1
Semifinals: Nik Razborsek – Lukas VRNAK (CZE) 3:6,6:3,4:6

Matteo Donati (Ita) – 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner
1st round: Matteo Donati – bye
2nd round: Matteo Donati – Andrea DALL’ASTA (ITA) 6:0, 6:2
3rd round: Matteo Donati – Yaraslau SHYLA (BLR) 1:6, 6:1, 6:4
Quarterfinals: Matteo Donati – Robin STANEK (CZE) 3:6, 4:6

Antonio Mastrelia (Ita) – 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 player
1st round: Mastrelia – Cristiano COMPAGNONE (ITA) 6:2, 6:4
2nd round: Antonio Mastrelia – Michael RINALDI (USA) 6:4, 6:4
3rd round: Antonio Mastrelia – J.VAN DOOREN (BEL) 4:6, 6:3, 6:4
Quarterfinals: A.Mastrelia – Lukas VRNAK (CZE) 7:5,5:7,5:7

Kevin Albonetti also the Smrikva Bowl players reached the second round.

Girls:

Saska Gavrilovska(Srb) – 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner
1st round: Saska Gavrilovska – Chiara ICARDI (ITA) 6:1, 6:3
2nd round: Saska Gavrilovska – Antonia LOTTNER (GER) 6:3, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Saska Gavrilovska-Petra ROHANOVA (CZE) 6:4,6:2
Semifinals: Saska Gavrilovska – Ons JABEUR (TUN) 4:6, 3:6

Eleanor Dean(Gbr) – 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner
1st round: Eleanor Dean – Giulia GUIDETTI (ITA) 6:0, 7:5
2nd round: Eleanor Dean – Camilla ROSATELLO (ITA) 6:3, 7:6
Quarterfinals: E.Dean – Jesika MALECKOVA (CZE) 2:6, 2:6

Among other: Francesca Palmigiano and Camilla Rosatello both Smrikva Bowl players reached the second round while Giorgia Marchetti did not reach the second round.

The first news from Florence I received yesterday via e-mail from the Golden Honorary Smrikva Bowl Member and Friend Luca Appino who was there with Ons JABEUR from Tunis… and I was pleased to read in his e-mail that he met Saska Gavrilovska and Gianluigi Quinzi that he knows being among the top Smrikva Bowl players in our tournament history.

Congratulations to all the players!

25/04/11

Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, won a USD 10.000 worth tournament played in Venezuela, while Tereza Mrdeza, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, reached the semifinals at USD 10.000 worth tournament played in Spain

This week Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, won a USD 10.000 worth tournament played in Caracas in Venezuela, while Tereza Mrdeza, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, also from Croatia, reached the semifinals at USD 10.000 worth tournament played in Torrent in Spain.

Indire Akiki’s road towards the victory of Caracas 2011 was the following:

1st round: Indire Akiki – Mariana MUCI-TORRES (VEN) 6:1, 7:5
2nd round: Indire Akiki – Adriana PEREZ (VEN) 4:6, 7:5, 6:2
Quarterfinals: Indire Akiki – Lena LITVAK (USA) 6:3, 6:3
Semifinals: Indire Akiki – Karen CASTIBLANCO (COL) 6:3, 6:3
Finals: Indire Akiki – Amanda MCDOWELL (USA) 6:0, 6:2

Ranking of the defeated players by Indire are the following:

Mariana MUCI-TORRES (VEN) – ex 513 on WTA list
Adriana PEREZ (VEN) – 569 on WTA list
Lena LITVAK (USA) – 452 on WTA list
Karen CASTIBLANCO (COL) – 473 on WTA list
Amanda MCDOWELL (USA) – 600 on WTA list

Indire Akiki is currently ranked #724 on WTA list.

Tereza Mrdeza’s road towards the semifinals of USD 10.000 worth tournament played in Torrent 2011 (Spain), after qualifications, was the following:

1st round: Tereza Mrdeza – Sara SORRIBES TORMO (ESP) 6:4,6:3
2nd round: T. Mrdeza – Lucia CERVERA VAZQUEZ 7:5, 6:0
Quarterfinals: Tereza Mrdeza – Victoria LARRIERE (FRA) 7:5, 7:5
Semifinals: Mrdeza- G. MUGURUZA BLANCO (ESP) 3:6, 6:7

Ranking of the players that Tereza played are the following:

Sara SORRIBES TORMO (ESP) – not ranked on WTA list
Lucia CERVERA VAZQUEZ – 623 on WTA list
Victoria LARRIERE (FRA) – 356 on WTA list
Garbine MUGURUZA BLANCO (ESP) – 542 on WTA list

Tereza Mrdeza is currently ranked #784 on WTA list.

Congratulations Smrikva girls and best wishes!

23/04/11

Ema Burgic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 semifinalist, defeated in the finals Donna Vekic, Smrikva Bowl player, at USD 10.000 worth tournament played on Hvar Island - "Biseri Dalmacije"

Ema Burgic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 semifinalist, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, defeated in the finals Donna Vekic, Smrikva Bowl player (born in 1996), from Croatia, at USD 10.000 worth tournament played on Hvar Island (CROATIA) – named “Biseri Dalmacije”.

Ema Burgic’s road towards the finals of “Biseri Dalmacije 2011” was the following:

1st round: Ema Burgic – Tea Faber (CRO) 6:2, 6:1
2nd round: Ema Burgic – Vivien Juhhaszova (SVK) 6:0, 6:2
Quarterfinals: Ema Burgic – Larisa Sporea (ROU) 6:4, 6:3
Semifinals: Ema Burgic – Evelyn Mayr (ITA) 7:5, 6:1
Finals: Ema Burgic – Donna Vekic (CRO) 7:5, 7:6

Ranking of the defeated players by Ema are the following:

Tea Faber (CRO) – 1094 on WTA list
V.Juhhaszova (SVK) – 634 on WTA list
Larisa Sporea (ROU) – 1155 on WTA list
Evelyn Mayr (ITA) – 398 on WTA list
Donna Vekic (CRO) – ranked #43 on ITF ranking list and gathered first WTA points with this tournament

Ema Burgic is currently ranked #782 on WTA list and was with Ajla Tomljanovic part of the first Smrikva Bowl team to play the 1st “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2002 edition that was played in Texas in October 2002.

Ajla and Ema were under 10 girls, that went across the Ocean to play a friendship match with the top US players. Ema, Ajla and their fathers they made a big trip… and year after year other families and players followed their example :)

Danna Vekic played Smrikva Bowl more than once and her road towards the finals of “Biseri Dalmacije 2011”, after passing the qualifications, was the following:

1st round: Donna Vekic – Alena Tarasova (RUS) 6:2, 4:6, 6:3
2nd round: Donna Vekic – Zuzana Zlochova (SVK) 6:1, 6:3
Quarterfinals: Donna Vekic – Gracia Radovanovic (FRA) 6:2, 6:2
Semifinals: Donna Vekic – Marion Gaud (FRA) 6:2, 6:2
Finals: Donna Vekic – Ema Burgic (BiH)

Ranking of the players that Donna played are the following:

Alena Tarasova (RUS) – not ranked on WTA list
Zuzana Zlochova (SVK) – 368 on WTA list
Gracia Radovanovic (FRA) – 1027 on WTA list
Marion Gaud (FRA) – 672 on WTA list
Ema Burgic (BiH) – #782 on WTA list

The most impressive thing is that Donna is born in 1996 thus this result is a great award for her effort… and Ema Burgic more than a year ago suffered an injury thus also for her it is a nice return towards new challenges…

Congratulations to both Smrikva girls and best wishes!

20/04/11

Katarina Jokic, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, is the winner of the 4th annual ZABA CUP 2011 under 14 age group played in Vinkovci in Croatia.

Katarina Jokic, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Bosnia and Herzegovina won 4th annual ZABA CUP 2011 under 14 age group played in Vinkovci in Croatia.

Katarina Jokic in December of the last year won also EDDIE HERR INTERNATIONAL 2010 under 12 age group and her road towards the victory of ZABA CUP 2011 under 14 age group was the following:

1st round: Katarina Jokic – Marija Kelava (Cro) – 6:2, 6:2
2nd round: Katarina Jokic – Ivana Cvijetic (Srb) – 6:4, 6:0
3rd round: Katarina Jokic – Jasmin Buchta (Aut) – 6:3, 6:2
Quarterfinals: Katarina Jokic – Margita Sunjic (Cro) – 6:2, 6:2
Semifinals: Katarina Jokic – Nikolina Jovic (Srb) – 0:6, 7:5, 6:2
Finals: Katarina Jokic – Natsuho Arakawa (Jap) – 7:4, 6:0

Great tournament for Katarina!... I was pleased to recognize in her road towards the victory another Smrikva Bowl player Margita Sunjic who reached the quarterfinals of ZABA CUP 2011 and also Natsuho Arakawa was in Smrikve, while her sister played Smrikva Bowl.

There were other Smrikva Bowl players in the Main Draw but among the best ranked on ZABA CUP 2011 I would recall Viktoria Kuzmova from Slovakia.

KATARINA JOKIC AND HER SMRIKVA BOWL

Herebelow is the picture of Katarina in Smrikve during the Smrikva Bowl awarding cerimony with Luka Panic…

Smrikva Bowl 2008 Winners - Katarina Jokic (BiH), Luka Panic (Sui)

As Smrikva Bowl winner she received from Renaud Vallon Wilson rackets...

and opportunity to train for a week in Paris at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy... On the photo below you can see Marcos Baghdatis with Katarina Jokic at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy :)

That was Katarina’s first time in Paris and she took the opportunity to visit Paris’ tower and also Disneyland. I saw several photos of Katarina and Nina Marjanovic in Disneyland. Here below is one of their photos:

12/04/11

Top Smrikva Bowl and "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players on ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA and European under 14 and 16 ranking lists (update April 2011)

Only top Smrikva Bowl players that reached certain results on the professional ranking list are mentioned below and the top Smrikva Bowl players that are still competing in the junior tennis.

IN 1996 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM ISTRIA AND KVARNER (1st Smrikva Bowl)

BOYS
Vilim Visak, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006.

IN 1997 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM CROATIA (1997 – 2nd Smrikva Bowl)

GIRLS
Ivana Lisjak, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #237 on WTA list. Ivana’s best ranking was #95 on WTA list in June 2006.

IN 1998 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT (3rd Smrikva Bowl)

1999 – 4th Smrikva Bowl

GIRLS
Astrid Besser, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Italy, her best ranking was #356 on WTA list in March 2009.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl

GIRLS
Tereza MRDEZA, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, her best ranking was #279 on WTA list in February 2010.

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #1364 on ATP ranking list.
Dino Marcan, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #650 on ATP ranking list.

GIRLS
Petra MARTIC, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #115 on WTA list. Petra’s best raning was #63 on WTA list in April 2010.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #721 on WTA list.

IN 2002 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE A EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

2002 – 7th Smrikva Bowl and 1st”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Javier MARTI, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Spain, is currently ranked #263 on ATP list.
Giacomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, was ranked #1761 on ATP list in May 2009.

GIRLS
Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #393 on WTA ranking list.
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #185 on WTA list.
Ema BURGIC, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #703 on WTA list.

2003 – 8th Smrikva Bowl and 2nd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Dominic THIEM, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Austria, is ranked #918 on ATP ranking list and is ranked #3 on ITF ranking list. Under 18 EDDIE HERR INTERNATIONAL 2010 winner.
George MORGAN, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #957 on ATP ranking list and is ranked #7 on ITF ranking list. Under 18 DUNLOP ORANGE BOWL 2010 winner.
Ciprian PORUMB, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, is ranked #612 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, was ranked #1117 on WTA list.
Silvia NJIRIC, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #570 on WTA list.
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Croatia, is ranked #185 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Emmett EGGER, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #89 on ITF ranking list.

2004 – 9th Smrikva Bowl and 3rd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #1147 on ITF ranking list.
Miki JANKOVIC, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #66 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Saska GAVRILOVSKA, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #98 on ITF ranking list.
Ecaterina Oproiu, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Romenia, not ranked on ITF ranking list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Mitchel POLNET, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #209 on ITF ranking list.

Blair SHANKLE, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #206 on ITF ranking list.
Anna MAMALAT, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #422 on WTA ranking list.

IN 2005 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 3 CONTINENTS

2005 – 10th Smrikva Bowl and 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Matteo DONATI, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Italy, is ranked #212 on ITF ranking list.
Laslo DJERE, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #367 on ITF ranking list.
Gianluigi QUINZI, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #94 on ITF ranking list.
Nikola MILOJEVIC, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 Consolation tournament winner, from Serbia, is ranked #20 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Saska GAVRILOVSKA, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #98 on ITF ranking list.
Olga IANCHUK, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Ukraine, is ranked #915 on WTA list, is ranked #70 on ITF ranking list.
Irina Maria BARA, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 player, from Romania, is ranked #173 on ITF ranking list.

Dorothy Tang, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked on ITF ranking list.

2006 – 11th Smrikva Bowl and 5th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Gianluigi QUINZI, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #94 on ITF ranking list and #1 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
Filip Kraljevic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #423 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

GIRLS
Eleanor DEAN, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #127 on ITF ranking list.
Dina PAOCIC, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #576 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

Christina MAKAROVA, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #41 on ITF ranking list.
Gabriella Umoquit, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is still not ranked on ITF ranking list.

2007 – 12th Smrikva Bowl and 6th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Sacha MERZETTI, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Italy, is ranked #15 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Bogdan BORZA, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Romania, is ranked #2 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gonzalo MORELL, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Spain, is ranked #59 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Sergiu BUCUR, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Romania, is ranked #9 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.

GIRLS
Ana KONJUH, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #9 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Nina POTOCNIK, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Slovenia, is ranked #28 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

Ndindi NDUNDA, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #6 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Domonique Garley, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #283 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

IN 2008 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 5 CONTINENTS AND TURNED INTO A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2008 – 13th Smrikva Bowl and 7th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Luka PANIC, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Switzerland, is ranked #316 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Mihnea Turcu, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Romania, is still not ranked on under 14 european ranking list.
Grega KOKALJ, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovenia, is ranked *#78 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Andrea Guerrieri, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Italy, is ranked #497 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

GIRLS
Katarina JOKIC, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked *#60 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*. Under 12 EDDIE HERR INTERNATIONAL 2010 winner.
Maia LUMSDEN, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Scotland, is ranked #33 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Viktoria KUZMOVA, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovakia, is ranked #45 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Estela Perez Somarriba, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Spain, is still not ranked on under 14 european ranking list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Justin LEE, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #649 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
William BLUMBERG, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked *#773 in the USA in under 12 cathegory*.

Ingrid NEEL, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #55 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Paulina Ferrari, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #538 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

IN 2009 SMRIKVA BOWL HAD 6 NEW COUNTRIES AND 1 NEW CONTINENT THUS REACHED THE TOTAL OF 40 COUNTRIES AND 6 CONTINENTS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE TOURNAMENT SINCE ITS FOUNDATION

2009 – 14th Smrikva Bowl and 8th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

“Little Mo” TEAM
Noah SCHACHTER, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #1 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Alex Gee, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #47 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Michaela GORDON, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #31 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Ashley LAHEY, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked *#80 in the USA in under 12 cathegory*.

IN 2010 SMRIKVA BOWL HAD 9 NEW COUNTRIES AND REACHED THE TOTAL OF 49 COUNTRIES THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE TOURNAMENT SINCE ITS FOUNDATION

2010 – 15th Smrikva Bowl and 9th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

“Little Mo” TEAM
Max Motlagh, played 9th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #882 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Claire LIU, played 9th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #25 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Alexa Butera, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked *#235 in the USA in under 12 cathegory*.

12/04/11

A nice article about Ingrid Neel, 7th "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl 2007 player,published on the New York Times "12-Year-Old Girl May Embody McEnroe’s Vision" (Part I)

I am pleased to share with Smrikva Bowl community an article published last month on the New York Times… the article is referred to a young US player – Ingrid Neel... she played the 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2008 competition.

It is a nice article I received from Ingrid’s father Bryan and is a nice story that I hope you will enjoy the way I did… :)

By HARVEY ARATON
Published: March 7, 2011

12-Year-Old Girl May Embody McEnroe’s Vision

For John McEnroe, a man of impassioned and instantly expressed emotions, hitting with Ingrid Neel was almost a case of love at first tennis stroke.

To introduce herself, Ingrid drew him to the net with a deft drop volley. Then she dared to lob the great Johnny Mac, lofting the ball inches from the baseline.

O.K., McEnroe thought, so this is how you want to play with a four-time United States Open and three-time Wimbledon champion? He retaliated with a drop-shot winner of his own, stepped toward the net, pointed a finger at his audacious new adversary and gave her a look that said, “You cannot be serious!”

But McEnroe could plainly see that, yes, absolutely she was.

“The way she played, the look in her eye, made me think that maybe it was the 2011 version of what I would look like now, only a girl,” he said.

A 12-year-old girl with freckled cheeks, standing short of 5 feet and weighing less than 100 pounds. But McEnroe, now 52 and in the business of discovering and developing future American stars, was smitten.

“I said, ‘O.K., that girl is the real deal, someone I would like to work with,’ ” he said.

This was last October, and McEnroe was getting ahead of himself. Ingrid had come from Rochester, Minn., to his academy at the Sportime club on Randalls Island, which was created last year with the goal of developing tennis players in his unorthodox image.

McEnroe believes that Florida’s live-in tennis academies have created an assembly-line sameness to America’s young players and have contributed to the country’s inability to produce big winners on the men’s and women’s professional tours.

In starting the academy, he envisioned talented boys and girls from not only the New York metropolitan area but also from around the country and even abroad coming with their families to “the most stimulating city in the world” to lead normal lives while learning to embrace their individuality and creativity in a sport that demands it at the very highest levels.

Thus far, McEnroe’s academy has mainly attracted New York-area players. Even Ingrid Neel has a local connection. Her mother, Hildy, grew up on Long Island, a McEnroe fan and trained for college tennis (at Long Island University) at the Port Washington Tennis Academy years after the young McEnroe’s time there. One of her instructors was Claude Okin, the managing partner of Sportime New York, which teamed with McEnroe to create a stay-at-home urban alternative to Florida’s live-in tennis academies.

After reading about their initiative, Hildy Neel contacted Okin, offering Ingrid’s truncated biography: took up tennis at 6; progressed quickly to the point where she was too good for girls her age; is ranked first in her section in the 18-and-under group; and recently created a stir in upper Midwest tennis circles by announcing she would compete this year against boys.

“John was such the quintessential New Yorker and a tennis genius,” Hildy Neel said. “I thought that there was the potential that he and Ingrid would connect.”

If being a natural iconoclast was not enough to make Ingrid Neel the dream McEnroe student, there was also the flattering disclosure that she had patterned her approach to the game after his. In an era of determined baseline slugging, Neel watched McEnroe on video and was fascinated by his knack for taking the ball on the rise, his attacking style and his contortionist’s ability to hit volleys and half-volleys of all angles.

“I always laugh when he’s approaching because he does this little hop,” she said. “But I loved the way he played because my favorite part of tennis is coming to the net. When I go to Florida and other places to play and I come in, a lot of my opponents don’t expect that because they never see it.”

Hildy Neel said Ingrid — who, unlike McEnroe, is right-handed — was never instructed to move forward.

“How you play tennis is a reflection of your personality,” Hildy Neel said. “That’s what she would do when she was little — hit and move in. She would always play in no man’s land, and her coach would never say, ‘Back off.’ That takes a certain attitude, and that’s what she and John seem to share.”

After hitting it off with McEnroe, Ingrid had a recent encore visit, accompanied by her mother and her coach, Brian Christensen. Over several days, she participated in a variety of academy programs — directed by Gilad Bloom, a former pro tour player from Israel — and attended the night of renewed rivalries at Madison Square Garden that pitted McEnroe against Ivan Lendl.

Much to his disgust, McEnroe retired with an injury from the pro set while ahead, affirming the still depressing notion that athletic glory will from here on be achieved vicariously, hopefully with someone like the young and precocious Ingrid as his protégée.

“It would be ironic if I coached a girl to be the best, or one of the best, whatever,” he said.

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12/04/11

A nice article about Ingrid Neel, 7th "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl 2007 player,published on the New York Times "12-Year-Old Girl May Embody McEnroe’s Vision" (Part II)

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Attracting sponsors (beyond Nike) to underwrite his academy has been a problem thus far, but there has been no shortage of local parents willing to have the ever-irascible McEnroe lecture their offspring about their critical first step toward the ball.

Last summer, McEnroe and his staff awarded full and part-time scholarships from a field of several hundred players attending an open tryout. One of the beneficiaries, Sabrina Xiong of Queens, the 12-year-old daughter of Chinese immigrants, recently won a sectional tournament.

Yet McEnroe knows that his academy will pose no threat to the brand names of tennis instruction — the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla. and the United States Tennis Association programs run by his brother Patrick — until it lands its share of the most gifted and talented players like Neel.

“We have an overqualified staff right now, no question,” McEnroe said. “I guess I have to look at this as a longer-term thing, find the kids who want to come here, whose families agree with my concept, if you want to call it that.”

McEnroe’s belief is that the American system has churned out baseline huggers overdosing on topspin. He said that they play too much tennis when they would be better off working harder in shorter periods of time and developing other interests, including different sports.

Likewise, Hildy Neel prefers that Ingrid’s life, at this stage, not be dominated by tennis. Although Ingrid has won national and international tournaments, she plays ice hockey and piano while attending a Rochester middle school.

Hildy Neel said the family focus had been less on building a national ranking and more on allowing Ingrid to experiment tactically — especially given the likelihood that she has a fair amount of growing to do. Hildy Neel is almost 5 feet 8 inches and her husband, Bryan, is 6-0.

“I really believe that until you pass puberty you can’t overtrain,” Hildy Neel said. “It does more harm than good. But living in Minnesota, where the competition is not cutthroat, Ingrid was good enough to be endorsed for national events without having to only play a baseline game.”

During one of Ingrid’s recent sessions with Bloom, McEnroe arrived to have another look and noticed a man sitting by the side of the court.

“Are you the father?” he asked.

Christensen stood up and said, “I’m the coach.”

McEnroe offered a hand and said: “Good job, man. She’s beautiful to watch.”

Christensen, 50, masked his excitement over meeting the man whose poster from his 2002 autobiography, “You Cannot Be Serious,” hangs in his basement.

“We kind of modeled her after you,” Christensen said.

“Well,” McEnroe said with a crooked smile, “now I know why you did such a good job.”

It all sounded like the beginning of happily-ever-after, but it wasn’t, not yet. Hildy Neel said that although she had family in New York, moving to such an expensive city would present financial challenges to continue the comfortable lifestyle the Neels have in Minnesota.

In addition, they have spent time at the Bollettieri academy, leaving Hildy Neel with the impression that her family “could live off the grounds and still have a normal life.”

But what McEnroe is offering is living large — in New York as well as at the net.

“They work at the net more than any other program,” Hildy Neel said. “We came back to develop a little bit more of a relationship with Gilad and John and to figure out if we did decide to come to New York what this would look like.

“We do have time to make a decision, but we are going to have to make one, probably within two years. Ingrid is running out of competition in Minnesota.”

McEnroe would argue that there is no more competitive and stimulating a place than New York. And that if Ingrid can make it through a session with him, she can make it anywhere.