News

14/02/10

Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction

Smrikva Bowl mission is to develop and spread cosmopolitan values. Love, friendship and empathy are cosmopolitan values per excellence…

Smrikve, April 2009

FEW WORDS ABOUT L…

The strongest force among human beings is named “Love”. Love can be very powerfull but can also be very painfull force.

THE LITTLE PRINCE…by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry… is a very special book that every person at different age read differently.

It is a book that last over time and was likely the last love gift Antoine de Saint-Exupéry made to his wife Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry.

Over time this book was translated in many different languages thus become a love gift for many generations around the world.

It is a children’s book writen for the olders… I like many parts of it… especially the description that Antoine make of the adult people… the description of the moment when the rose was born… the importance of the right orders on the King’s planet… “you never know” statement… the meeting with the wise fox… the smiling stars and many other parts…

Only best friends, when they trust each other, do share their deep knowledge… and once The Little Prince and the fox created such a special relationship the fox shared a secret with him…

“Goodbye, said the fox. And now here is my secret, a very simple secret. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry beleived that: Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.… “Ljubav ne zahtjeva da dvoje ljudi gledaju jedno u drugo, već da zajedno gledaju u istom pravcu”.

Miodrag Bozovic

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.

14/02/10

Top Smrikva Bowl and "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players on ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA and European under 14 and 16 ranking lists (update February 2010)

IN 1996 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM ISTRIA AND KVARNER

1996 – 1st Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Vilim Visak, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006 and his best double ranking was #370 in February 2009.

GIRLS
Natali Zuliani, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia, is graduating in architecture.

IN 1997 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM CROATIA

1997 – 2nd Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Zeljko Peric, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.
Filip Kricka, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 runner up, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

GIRLS
Ivana Lisjak, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #204 on WTA list. Ivana’s best ranking was #95 on WTA list in June 2006.

IN 1998 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

1998 – 3rd Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Filip Kovacic, 3rd Smrikva Bowl 1998 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

GIRLS
Mateja Horvat, 3rd Smrikva Bowl 1998 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player. Her best ranking was around #800 on WTA list.

1999 – 4th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Borko Mudronja, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.
Deni Zmak, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 runner up, from Croatia. Deni’s best ranking was #1023 on ATP list as of November 2009. In October 2009 he had an accident with motorcycle and for some time he will be forced to stay out of the courts.

GIRLS
Astrid Besser, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Italy, is ranked #509 on WTA list. Astrid’s best ranking was #356 on WTA list in March 2009.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Adelchi Virgili, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Italy is not ranked.

GIRLS
Tereza MRDEZA, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, is currently ranked #282 on WTA list.

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #1461 on ATP ranking list.
Dino Marcan, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #1017 on ATP ranking list.

GIRLS
Petra MARTIC, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #78 on WTA list.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #644 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 #704 on ATP list.
Giacomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, was ranked #1403 on ATP list in May 2009.

GIRLS
Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #772 on WTA ranking list.
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #246 on WTA list.
Ema BURGIC, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #651 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 #35 on ITF ranking list.
George MORGAN, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #60 on ITF ranking list.
Ciprian PORUMB, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, is ranked #241 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, was ranked #964 on WTA list.
Silvia NJIRIC, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #896 on WTA list.
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Croatia, is ranked #246 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Emmett EGGER, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #142 on ITF ranking list.
Robert Stineman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #154 in the USA in under 18 cathegory.

Karen Forman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #698 in the USA in under 18 cathegory.
Katie Klyczek, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, and is ranked #200 in the USA in under 18 cathegory.

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

BOYS
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #1227 on ITF ranking list.
Miki JANKOVIC, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #221 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Saska GAVRILOVSKA, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #84 on ITF ranking list.
Ecaterina Opriou, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Romenia.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Mitchel POLNET, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #830 on ITF ranking list.

Blair SHANKLE, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #286 on ITF ranking list.
Anna MAMALAT, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #740 on ITF 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 #15 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
Gyore Laszlo, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #20 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
Gianluigi QUINZI, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #789 on ITF ranking list and #8 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
Nikola MILOJEVIC, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 Consolation tournament winner, from Serbia, is ranked #520 on ITF ranking list and #7 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

GIRLS
Saska GAVRILOVSKA, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #84 on ITF ranking list.
Olga IANCHUK, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Ukraine, is ranked #85 on ITF ranking list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Jeffrey Schorsch, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #803 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Jose GRACIA, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #356 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Yale GOLDBERG, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #365 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

Dorothy Tang, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #415 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

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

BOYS
Gianluigi QUINZI, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #789 on ITF ranking list and #8 in Europe in under 16 cathegory (#1 in Europe in under 14 cathegory).
Filip Kraljevic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #137 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

GIRLS
Eleanor DEAN, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #8 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Dina PAOCIC, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #72 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Daniel Maese, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Aries Wong, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #116 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

Christina MAKAROVA, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #2 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Gabriella Umoquit, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #238 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

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

BOYS
Sacha Merzetti, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Italy, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Bogdan BORZA, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Romania, is ranked #51 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Gonzalo Morell, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Sergiu Bucur, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Romania, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

GIRLS
Virginia PENA, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Spain, is currently not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Ana KONJUH, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #86 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Nina POTOCNIK, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Slovenia, is ranked #86 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Katie Dayson, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from UK, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Eduardo NAVA, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #36 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Tommy PAUL, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #2 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Ndindi NDUNDA, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #4 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Domonique Garley, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #106 in the USA in under 12 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 too young for under 14 european ranking.
Mihnea Turcu, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Romania, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Grega Kokalj, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovenia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Andrea Guerrieri, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Italy, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

GIRLS
Katarina Jokic, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Maia Lumsden, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Scotland, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Viktoria Kuzmova, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovakia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Estela Perez Somarriba, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Justin LEE, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #113 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
William Blumberg, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #96 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Ingrid NEEL, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #117 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Paulina Ferrari, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #201 in the USA in under 12 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 #39 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Alex Gee, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #554 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Michaela GORDON, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #140 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Ashley LAHEY, played 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked *#148 in the USA in under 12 cathegory*.

12/02/10

Nina Marjanovic and Miomir Kecmanovic are the winners of under 12 Serbian Indoors Championship while Kristina Miletic reached the semifinals

I just received the message from Kristina’s father that Kristina Miletic reached the semifinals of under 12 Serbian Indoors Championship.

In the draw I saw Nina Marijanovic, one year older Smrikva Bowl player, who reached the finals of the same Championship and few hours later I received a message from Miomir side that Miomir Kecmanovic and Nina Marijanovic won the Championship.

They are both Smrikva Bowl players: Nina played two years ago while Miomir (Misa) and Kristina played last year edition.

Miomir Kecmanovic is the youngest player ever to win this Championship.

Nina Marjanovic and Miomir Kecmanovic also very good friends of Smrikve and both very talented player. They were toghether with Tanja at Smrikve last summer and enjoyed training with Miro.

From left to right you can see on the picture Miomir, Nina and Miro. On the right side of the picture are Matic and his coach Tine.

Miomir (Misa) road towards the victory was the following:

1st round: Miomir Kecmanovic – Nikola Arsic 6:0, 6:2
2nd round: Miomir Kecmanovic – Aresnije Milosavljevic 6:0, 6:0
Quarterfinals: Miomir Kecmanovic – Aleks Nedeljkovic 6:2, 6:1
Semifinals: Miomir Kecmanovic – Rejhan Gicic 6:3, 6:1
Finals: Miomir Kecmanovic – Pavle Popovic 2:6, 6:2, 6:3

Nina’s road towards the victory and Kristina’s road towards semifinals was the following:

1st round: Nina Marjanovic – Janja Kovacevic 6:3, 6:2
2nd round: Nina Marjanovic – Lena Babunski 6:1, 6:0
Quarterfinals: Nina Marjanovic – Hristina Cvetkovic 6:1, 6:4
Semifinals: Nina Marjanovic – Kristina Miletic 6:4, 6:4
Finals: Nina Marjanovic – Ivana Cvijetic 7:5, 6:4

Kristina Miletic is as Miomir only 10 years. After her participation on the Smrikva Bowl her achievements and results were extraonrdinary and currently she is one of the top ranked under 12 player in Serbia.

Kristina’s road towards the semifinals was the following:

1st round: Kristina Miletic – Olga Danilovic 6:2, 6:0
2nd round: Kristina Miletic – Ana Kacavenda 6:1, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Kristina Miletic – Ivona Radanovic 6:2, 5:7, 6:2
Semifinals: Kristina Miletic – Nina Marjanovic 4:6, 4:6

Congratulations to Nina, Miomir (Misa) and Kristina!

10/02/10

Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, defeated Yanina Wickmayer and lost to Agnes Szavay in 18th Open GDF Suez - USD 700.000 worth tournament - played in Paris

Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, is the best ranked former Smrikva Bowl player on WTA list and the best Croatian tennis player on WTA list.

Petra Martic is currently ranked #82 on WTA list but today in Paris Petra obtained the first match of her career by defeating Yanina Wickmayer ranked #15 on WTA list. Yanina is another very young tennis player from Belgium only two years older than Petra but with already quite impressive ranking.

In the second round Petra played Agnes Szavay, another very strong young player from Hungary, that is currently ranked #34 WTA and was ranked #13 WTA.

Petra Martic entered the 18th Open GDF Suez with wild card and her results were the following:

1st round: Petra Martic – Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) 6:4, 3:6, 7:5
2nd round: Petra Martic – Agnes Szavay (Hun) 2:6, 4:6

On the picture below you can see Petra Martic in 2001 with her Smrikva Bowl trophy

I am pleased to shared with Smrikva Bowl community the comment of the match written on the official website.

FLY IN THE OINTMENT FOR WICKMAYER

(source: www.opengdfsuez.com)

Young Belgian player Yanina Wickmayer, number 3 seed in this year’s Open GDF SUEZ, fell from the start faced with Croatia’s stupefying Petra Martic (6-4, 3-6, 7-5) in a tight match lasting 2h24.

The crowd was expecting a one way game on Central Court, where Yanina Wickmayer, World N° 15 and climbing since her semi-final at the US Open last year and her victory in Auckland in January, would play against Croatian Petra Martic, World 82nd and still on a quest for her first victory in 2010 after three tournaments played in Australia. Although only one year’s difference in age separates them, they apparently play two entirely different games of tennis.

The difference was barely noticeable on the court in the first set, as the outsider daringly took her chance by breaking her opponent in the fifth game and then leading. In fact, despite a solid second ball, Wickmayer had a difficult serve and let her opponent knock down a ball in the first set after 44 minutes. Despite a save by the Belgian, Martic’s second tentative was the good one, and the young Croatian carried away the first set with a score of 6-4, confirming that she was no more frightened by Central Court than by her opponent. .

Would Wickmayer manage to hold her spot? Not so sure, considering her apparent lack of concentration and distraction by the noisy crowd of young spectators (out of school on Wednesday) or by Martic’s long therapy session. On the other side of the net, the neon pink-clad Croatian braved variations that prevented Wickmayer from tuning her game. Instead the Belgian delivered a minimum serve, and despite a disappointing level, managed to stay with the score during seven games, and using her increasingly obvious frustration to change gears, came back at one set all (6-3) after 1 hr. 35 min.

The Coubertin crowd had imagined a wide open set considering that Wickmayer’s revival didn’t necessarily mean she was back in the groove. Both players’ coaches made the last technical adjustments and pep-talked their protégés. Increasingly tighter games gave the two protagonists a chance to display the full extent of their talent. Wickmayer’s winning accelerations along the line met Martic’s fine lobs and drop shots. But after three match points saved calmly by the Belgian, Martic eventually won in a last gem set, creating the Open GDF SUEZ 2010’s first big surprise.

Good luck Petra and congratulations for this big win!

06/02/10

Petra Martic, Ajla Tomljanovic and Silvia Njiric were part of the Croatian team during the last matches of the FED CUP competition

I was so glad to read that three players out of four of the current Fed Cup team was composed by the top Smrikva Bowl players: Petra Martic, Ajla Tomljanovic and Silvia Njiric.

All these girls are very young: Petra is 1991, Ajla and Silvia are 1993 age group thus it is likely that in the following years Croatian team will rise up very quickly in the FED CUP competition.

PETRA MARTIC

Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, is the best ranked former Smrikva Bowl player on WTA list and is the best Croatian tennis player on WTA list. She is currently ranked #82 on WTA list and is top 5 if take into account only her age group.

For those who do not know Petra yet please enjoy the video registered in Portoroz at Slovenia Open few years ago.

AJLA TOMLJANOVIC

Ajla Tomljanovic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up and third ranked on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, is the Croatian tennis rising star.

Although she is only 16 years old she has been for some time among the best players in her age group in the World. Ajla is currently ranked #246 on WTA list.

Considering WTA ranking list there is only one girl in her age group (1993) with better ranking than her.

SILVIA NJIRIC

Silvia Njiric, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, is another Croatian tennis rising star. Silvia is currently ranked #896 on WTA list* with only few tournaments played.

On the picture bellow Silvia was at the openning cerimony of the 2nd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl where she participated as part of the Smrikva Bowl team when she was 10 years old.

04/02/10

Jakov Martinis and Petra Granic - both Smrikva Bowl players - won the under 12 Indoors Croatian Championship

On the Croatian under 12 Indoors Championship we had in both finals players that played Smrikva Bowl.

Congratulations to all the Smrikva Bowl players who reached the finals: Jakov Martinis, Luka Panic, Petra Granic and Marija Curnic!

BOYS DRAW

Jakov Martinis road towards the victory of the under 12 Indoors Croatian Championship was the following:

1st round: Jakov Martinis – Robert Gasparovic 6:4, 6:2
2nd round: Jakov Martinis – Jerko Brkic 6:1, 6:2
Quarterfinals: Jakov Martinis – Filip Kesina 7:6, 6:2
Semifinals: Jakov Martinis – Ivan Levar 6:1, 6:0
Finals: Jakov Martinis – Luka Panic 1:6, 6:1, 6:4

Luka Panic lives in Switzerland and was the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner of the main draw while Jakov Martinis won the consolation draw during the same edition. Luka is the boy on the left side of in the picture and Jakov is the boy on the right side.

There were several other top Smrikva Bowl players in the boys main draw that reached an important result such as: Karlo Suevich and Zvonimir Oreskovic who reached the quarterfinals.

Karlo Suevich is only 10 years old he is expected to play also this year Smrikva Bowl. Last year he reached the semifinals on the Smrikva Bowl.

GIRLS DRAW

Petra Granic road towards the victory of the under 12 Indoor Croatian Championship was the following:

1st round: Petra Granic – Paula Gajsak 6:1, 6:0
2nd round: Petra Granic – Dea Stimac 6:0, 7:6
Quarterfinals: Petra Granic – Ena Babic 6:7, 6:2, 6:1
Semifinals: Petra Granic – Nina Alibalic 6:7, 6:3, 7:5
Finals: Petra Granic – Marija Curnic 6:3, 6:3

Petra Granic and Marija Curnic both reached the quarterfinals at the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 edition.

In the girls draw there were also several other top Smrikva Bowl players who reached the quarterfinals of this Championship such as: Ena Delibegovic and Lea Boskovic.

Congratulations!

03/02/10

Borna Coric and Christina Makarova are the best ranked top Smrikva Bowl players on 28th edition of Le Mondial des Petits AS 2010 - unofficial under 14 World Championship

Les Petits As is unofficial under 14 World Championship traditionally played in Tarbes in France.

Last year Nikola Milojevic and Borna Coric both Smrikva Bowl players played the finals of Les Petits As while this year Borna Coric was the best former Smrikva Bowl player by reaching the semifinals. Born is among the most promissing youg Croatian players and he 10th Smrikva Bowl edition in 2005 when he was 9 years old.

Christina Makarova is from US and she played for the “Little Mo” team in the 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2006 competition and she was the best former “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl player in the girls draw of 28th edition of Les Petits AS by reaching the quarterfinals.

Lets view their results:

BOYS DRAW

Borna Coric road towards the semifinals of the 28th Les Petit As 2010 World Championship in Tarbes was the following:

1st round: Borna CORIC – Alexandre Muller 6:2, 6:1
2nd round: Borna CORIC – J.B. Neri Fuchs 6:2, 6:4
3rd round: Borna CORIC – Takumi Tsunematsu 5:7, 6:3, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Borna CORIC – Myles Furman 4:6, 6:3, 6:4
Semifinals: Borna CORIC – Quentin Halys 6:4, 7:6. 1:6

On the picture above Christina Makarova is the girl on the left side with a blue cap, while Gianluigi Quinzi is the boy sitting on the left side with long hair.

There were several other top Smrikva Bowl players in the boys main draw at 28th Les Petit As 2010 and I will recall few of them:
Gianluigi Quinzi (Ita), Andre Biro (Hun), Maks Tekavec (Slo).

GIRLS DRAW

Christina Makarova road towards the quarterfinals of the 28th Les Petit As 2010 World Championship was the following:

1st round: Christina MAKAROVA – M.B.Haddad 6:0, 6:3
2nd round: Christina MAKAROVA – Marina Margulis 4:6, 6:2, 6:3
3rd round: Christina MAKAROVA – Valeria Patiuk 6:2, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Christina MAKAROVA-Kanami Tsuji 2:6,6:0,6:0

There were several other top Smrikva Bowl players in the girls main draw at 28th Les Petit As 2010 such as: Ana Konjuh (Cro), Ivana Jorovic (Srb), Iva Primorac (Cro), Ilka Csoregi (Rom), Donna Vekic (Cro), Eleanor Dean (Gbr), Belinda Bencic (Ch), Katie Boulter (Gbr), Deborah Chiesa (Ita).

Congratulations to Borna and Christina!

02/02/10

I COLORI DEL MONDO - Smrikva Bowl Song - by Claudio Montanelli

Dear Smrikva friends,

I am pleased to invite you to visit the video with Smrikva Bowl pictures and „I COLORI DEL MONDO“ („COLOURS OF THE WORLD) song written and composed by the end of November by Claudio Montanelli, a historical Smrikva Bowl friend.

You can also take a look at my translation of the text in English and Croatian. I am sure that among all of you there are talents that could help to improve my translation. I invite all those who understand Italian to check the translation and maybe help that we reach a translation that only Disney is able to do in their artworks :) and propose the translation of the song in other languages.

http://www.smrikve.com/smrikva-bowl/smrikva-bowl-song/

How this song developed…

Claudio Montanelli is a guitar player, song writter and entreprenour who lives and works in Milan and is a friend of Smrikve for years. I had a long time desire that Smrikva Bowl gets a song. It was necessary to meet a person who has a gift to write songs and for me was very important that that person knows well Smrikva Bowl.

In November I was in Milan attending an international tennis PTR symposium and received an invitation fro dinner from Claudio and his family. After the dinner we had time to listen some Cluadio’s work in his studio-room of som songs he did that were presented on Italian music festivals that summer. While returning home I thought that Claudio is actually the best person I know who could write the song. I knew he has the gift for the song writing and I also knew that he knows a lot about Smrikva Bowl thus I suggested him to think about writing a song for Smrikva. I told him that there was no time pressure and if he likes the idea when he gets inspired to put the words on the paper. He was pleased to do it.

I was thinking if I should tell him the arguments that I would like to be covered in the text but in end I decided not to do it. I talked for years about Smrikva Bowl to Claudio and I thought to leave him free to write what he feels wihout expressing my particular wishes.

The week end after that dinner in Milan I had to go to Turin for another PTR course and while following the class I received a message from Claudio saying that he sent me via e-mail the draft of the song and to let him know if I like it. It was the Smrikva Bowl song and the fact that he wrote it in only few days make me think that the he alredy had the song in his mind. At the moment Claudio is recording the song with children choir thus soon another interpretation of the song will be available.

Warmest regards to all and thanks to the Smrikva Bowl Ambassadors on their recommendations and Smrikva promotion.

Miodrag Bozovic

25/01/10

Grega Kokalj - 13th Smrikva Bowl semifinalist - and Anette Sculac - 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 player - were crowned Slovenian under 12 National Champions in Otocec

Grega Kokalj – 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 semifinalist – and Anette Sculac were just crowned the under 12 Slovenian National Champions on the Championship played in Otocec last week.

Few days ago I received the news from Grega’s father Rajko. Grega won both single and double draws and today I’ve got also Grega’s results.

I recognized on the picture received from Rajko that in girls draw Anette Sculac was the winner, another Smrikva Bowl player, thus it is a double victory for the Smrikva Bowl players!

I was also glad to recognize several other Smrikva Bowl players that reached great results such as: Sven Lah, Nik Hribar and Nejc Sitar.

On the picture below you can see Grega and Anette with their trophies.

Grega’s road towards the victory in the single draw was the following:

1st round: Grega Kokalj – Lavrencic 6:3, 6:3
2nd round: Grega Kokalj – Senica 6:0, 6:0
Quarterfinals: Grega Kokalj – Miklavcic 6:1, 6:0
Semifinals: Grega Kokalj – Sven Lah 6:1, 6:2
Finals: Grega Kokalj – Nikolas 6:0, 6:1

Grega visited Smrikve with his family also during this year Smrikva Bowl edition and it is always a pleasure to see and meet former Smrikva Bowl players in Smrikve and it is very nice to read about their victories as this one that I am pleased to share with the Smrikva Bowl community.

I recall another story Grega’s father told me when Grega played Smrikva Bowl…

Rajko told me that when Grega started to play tennis and his tennis teacher recognized the great talent in the way he was learning and hiting the ball she told him that if he continues to be so good in his learning curve one day he will go to play a very important tournament in Pula named Smrikva Bowl.

I can tell you that I was so pleased to hear that our Smrikva Bowl was used by Grega’s teacher as inspiration for his progress :)

In doubles Grega Kokalj and Nejc Sitar road towards the victory was the following:

1st round: Bye
2nd round: Kokalj-Sitar – Mraz-Porenta 6:0, 6:0
Semifinals: Kokalj-Sitar – Gorucan-Lah 6:1, 6:1
Finals: Kokalj-Sitar – Hribar-Lavrencic 6:0, 6:1

Nejc Sitar is another player that played the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 edition. I recognized in the results received also the name of Sven Lah who reached the semifinals and Nik Hribar who reached the finals in doubles…

Congratulations Grega, Anette, Nejc, Sven and Nik!

For those who understand Slovenian I am pleased to share the article published on www.dolenjskilist.si written by Dusan Hocevar (TK Krka Otočec) on 20th of January, 2009.

Končano državno prvenstvo do 12 let. Domačin v finalu dvojic

Po šestih dneh tekmovanj, ki so potekala od jutra do večera, so se v teniškem centru na Otočcu končali finalni dvoboji na državnem prvenstvu do 12 let.

Pri deklicah posamezno je Anette Ščulac iz TK Maja Ljubljana v finalu premagala Sašo Klaneček iz TK ŽTK iz Maribora. Dvoboj je dobila z rezultatom 6/2 6/1.

Pri fantih posamezno je zmagovalec prepričljivo postal Grega Kokalj iz TK Litija, ki je v finalu premagal presenečenje turnirja, petega nosilca Nikolaš Klemna iz Kranja. Rezultat je bil 6/0 6/1 v korist Kokolja.

Pri dvojicah fantov sta naslov državnih prvakov osvojila Kokalj in Sitar ter pri dekletih *Ščulac in Klaneček*. Tukaj ni bilo presenečenj, saj so postavljeni prvi nosilci z vsemi opravili po pričakovanjih.

Nasploh smo minuli teden lahko uživali v zelo kvalitetnem tenisu, videli kar nekaj talentov, ki obetajo in bodo šli po poteh najboljših naših igralcev in igralk – Herzogove, Kavčiča, Žemlje, ki so prav tako dobro opravili z nastopi na turnirju za grand slam v Avstraliji. Slovenska teniška prihodnost je zelo obetavna, ki bo z trdim konstantnim delom v klubih, na teniški zvezi in individualno prinesla rezultate!

Tudi domači klub TK Krka Otočec je lahko ponosen na svoj podmladek, presenetil in najboljši rezultat pa je naredil Nik Hribar z uvrstitvijo v finale dvojic in osvojitvijo drugega mesta v državi.

Gledalci in obiskovalci turnirja so z organizacijo na Otočcu zelo zadovoljni, zadeve so potekale brez napak v odličnih pogojih, ki jih nudijo Terme Krka.

V petek se bo na Otočcu začel nov turnir državnega prvenstva, tokrat se bodo pomerili tenisači in tenisačice v konkurenci do 18 let.

19/01/10

Petra Martic - 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner - lost in the first round of the Australian Open against Sabine Lisicki

Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, is the best ranked former Smrikva Bowl player on WTA list and is the best Croatian tennis player on WTA list.

Petra Martic currently ranked #82 on WTA list and born in 1991 was defeated by Sabine Lisicki from Germany, currently ranked #24 on WTA list and two years older than Petra, with result 6:4, 6:1.

For those who do not know Petra yet please enjoy the video registered in Portoroz at Slovenia Open few years ago.

13/01/10

Top Smrikva Bowl and "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players on ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA and European under 14 and 16 ranking lists (update January 2010)

IN 1996 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM ISTRIA AND KVARNER

1996 – 1st Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Vilim Visak, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006 and his best double ranking was #370 in February 2009.

GIRLS
Natali Zuliani, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia, is graduating in architecture.

IN 1997 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM CROATIA

1997 – 2nd Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Zeljko Peric, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.
Filip Kricka, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 runner up, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

GIRLS
Ivana Lisjak, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #214 on WTA list. Ivana’s best ranking was #95 on WTA list in June 2006.

IN 1998 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

1998 – 3rd Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Filip Kovacic, 3rd Smrikva Bowl 1998 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

GIRLS
Mateja Horvat, 3rd Smrikva Bowl 1998 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player. Her best ranking was around #800 on WTA list.

1999 – 4th Smrikva Bowl

GIRLS
Astrid Besser, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Italy, is ranked #510 on WTA list. Astrid’s best ranking was #356 on WTA list in March 2009.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Adelchi Virgili, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Italy is not ranked.

GIRLS
Tereza MRDEZA, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, is currently ranked #285 on WTA list.

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #1472 on ATP ranking list.
Dino Marcan, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #1018 on ATP ranking list.

GIRLS
Petra MARTIC, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #82 on WTA list.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #641 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 #683 on ATP list.
Giacomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, was ranked #1420 on ATP list in May 2009.

GIRLS
Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #774 on WTA ranking list.
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #302 on WTA list.
Ema BURGIC, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #648 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 #112 on ITF ranking list.
George MORGAN, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #82 on ITF ranking list.
Ciprian PORUMB, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, is ranked #262 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, was ranked #956 on WTA list.
Silvia NJIRIC, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #894 on WTA list.
Ajla TOMLJANOVIC, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Croatia, is ranked #302 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Emmett EGGER, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #129 on ITF ranking list.
Robert Stineman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #154 in the USA in under 18 cathegory.

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

BOYS
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #1180 on ITF ranking list.
Miki JANKOVIC, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #300 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #3 in Europe in under 16 cathergory.

GIRLS
Saska GAVRILOVSKA, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #133 on ITF ranking list.
Ecaterina Opriou, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Romenia, is ranked #357 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Mitchel POLNET, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #798 on ITF ranking list.

Blair SHANKLE, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #278 on ITF ranking list.
Anna MAMALAT, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #731 on ITF 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 #117 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
Gyore Laszlo, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #383 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
Gianluigi QUINZI, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #760 on ITF ranking list.
Nikola MILOJEVIC, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 Consolation tournament winner, from Serbia, is ranked #496 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Saska GAVRILOVSKA, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #133 on ITF ranking list.
Olga IANCHUK, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Ukraine, is ranked #93 on ITF ranking list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Jeffrey Schorsch, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #803 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Jose GRACIA, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #356 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Yale GOLDBERG, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #365 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

Dorothy Tang, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #415 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

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

BOYS
Gianluigi QUINZI, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #760 on ITF ranking list.
Filip Kraljevic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #367 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

GIRLS
Eleanor DEAN, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #23 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Dina PAOCIC, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #163 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

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

BOYS
Sacha Merzetti, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Italy, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Bogdan BORZA, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Romania, is ranked #158 in Europe in under 14 cathegory*.
Gonzalo Morell, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Sergiu Bucur, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Romania, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

GIRLS
Virginia PENA, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Spain, is currently not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Ana KONJUH, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #190 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Nina POTOCNIK, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Slovenia, is ranked #192 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Katie Dayson, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from UK, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

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

GIRLS
Katarina JOKIC, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #439 in Europe in under 14 european ranking.
Maia Lumsden, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Scotland, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Viktoria KUZMOVA, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovakia, is ranked #413 in Europe in under 14 european ranking.
Estela Perez Somarriba, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

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

12/01/10

Ana Konjuh - 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up - won the under 14 Croatian Indoor Championship 2010

Ana Konjuh – 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up – just won the under 14 Croatian Indoor Championship played in Zagreb. Ana is 1997 age group thus a year younger compared to most of the other players in the cathegory.

On the picture below you can see Ana Konjuh during her Smrikva Bowl. She is in the middle of the picture while on her left side is Ariana Rabac that did not passed into quarterfinals of this weekend Championship.

Ana Konjuh’s road towards the victory was the following:

1st round: Ana Konjuh – Petra Vrhovec 6:1, 6:0
2nd round: Ana Konjuh – Marija Kelava 6:1, 6:3
Quarterfinals: Ana Konjuh – Margita Sunjic 6:1, 6:1
Semifinals: Ana Konjuh – Tea Jandric 3:6, 7:5, 6:1
Finals: Ana Konjuh – Stefanije Vorih 3:6, 6:3, 6:2

Among other top Smrikva Bowl players Jana Fett reached the semifinals, Margit Sunjic and Iva Primorac the quarterfinals.

Congratulations Ana!

06/01/10

Several top Smrikva Bowl reached the finals on 26th Lemon Bowl 2010 edition: Kristina Novak (winner) and Yannick Steinneger in under 10 age group, Petra Granic (winner) and Costanza Pera in under 12 and Filippo Saloli in under 16

Lemon Bowl – is a traditional international tournament organized in Rome (Italy) in Jannuary. It is played in several age groups starting from under 8 till under 18 years of age.

Many top Smrikva Bowl players played Lemon Bowl before or after Smrikva Bowl like: Ivana Lisjak, Giacomo Miccini, Sacha Merzetti, Bogdan Borza, Gianluigi Quinzi, Ana Konjuh, Adelchi Virgili, Luca Margaroli, Vladica Babic, Samuele Ramazzotti, Arianna Capogrosso, Nicole Pafundi, Nicholas Merzetti, Antonio Masterlia, and many many others.

Also this year I recognized several top Smrikva Bowl players that made outstanding results in various age groups such as:

UNDER 10 – Girls

Novak Kristina (Slo) – played 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009

1st round: Novak Kristina – Michela Buglione (Ita) – 6:3, 6:4
2nd round: Novak Kristina – Virginia Bramante (Ita) – 6:1, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Novak Kristina – Joanne Zuger (Sui) – 6:4, 6:4
Semifinals: Novak Kristina – Anna Hertel (Pol) – 7:5, 6:3
Finals: Novak Kristina – Rebecca Fedele (Ita) – 6:4, 6:4

Joanne Zuger (Sui) that played with Kristina Novak in the quarterfinals played also the 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 edition.

UNDER 10 – Boys

Yannick Steinneger (Sui) – played 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009

1st round: Yannick Steinneger – Pietro Manola (Ita) 6:1, 7:5
2nd round: Yannick Steinneger – Karim Najia (Uae) 7:6, 3:6, 7:5
Quarterfinals: Yannick Steinneger – Andrea Moro (Ita) 6:2, 7:5
Semifinals: Yannick Steinneger – Giuseppe La Vela (Ita) 6:2, 6:2
Finals: Yannick Steinneger – Riccardo Perin (Ita) 2:6, 1:6

Arslan Kellou (Fra) – played 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009

1st round: Arslan Kellou – Pasquale Notaristefano (Ita) 6:2, 6:3
2nd round: Arslan Kellou – Christian Proietti (Ita) 6:2, 6:3
Quarterfinals: Arslan Kellou – Marco Navarra (Ita) 6:1, 6:4
Semifinals: Arslan Kellou – Riccardo Perin (Ita) 2:6, 3:6

UNDER 12 – Girls

Petra Granic (Cro) – played 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008

1st round: Petra Granic – Elena Roux (Ita) 6:0, 6:1
2nd round: Petra Granic – Federica Bilardo (Ita) 6:4, 6:2
Quarterfinals: Petra Granic – Eleonora Palumbo (Ita) 6:7, 6:0, 6:0
Semifinals: Petra Granic – Anastasija Cobanovic (Srb) 6:0, 7:5
Finals: Petra Granic – Costanza Pera (Ita) 6:2, 6:3

Costanza Pera (Ita) – played 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008

1st round: Costanza Pera – Chiara Pusceddu (Ita) 6:0, 6:0
2nd round: Costanza Pera – Arianna Capogrosso (Ita) 6:1, 7:6
Quarterfinals: Costanza Pera – Angela G.Scarfo’ (Ita) 6:0, 7:6
Semifinals: Costanza Pera – Martina Pratesi (Ita) 6:3, 6:1
Finals: Costanza Pera – Petra Granic (Cro) 2:6, 3:6

Martina Pratesi (Ita) – played 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008

1st round: Martina Pratesi – Camilla Ciaccia (Ita) 6:1, 6:1
2nd round: Martina Pratesi – Jelena Polovina (Srb) 6:7, 6:1, 6:0
Quarterfinals: Martina Pratesi – Silvja Perosa (Ita) 7:5, 6:3
Semifinals: Martina Pratesi – Costanza Pera (Ita) 3:6, 1:6

Sina Zuger and Dea Lako lost in the 1st round while Arianna Capogrosso lost in the 2nd round. All of them played this year Smrikva Bowl thus are still younger compared to the other players.

UNDER 12 – Boys

Samuele Ramazzotti (Ita) – 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 runner up

1st round: Samuele Ramazzotti – Simone Novella (Ita) 6:2, 6:3
2nd round: Samuele Ramazzotti – Riccardo Balzerani (Ita) 6:4,6:3
Quarterfinals: S. Ramazzotti – Giovanni B.Morello (Ita) 4:6, 3:6

Jacopo Berrettini (Ita) – played 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008

1st round: Jacopo Berrettini – Paolo Vallefuoco (Ita) 3:6, 7:6, 6:0
2nd round: Jacopo Berrettini – Tomaso Schold (Ita) 6:2, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Jacopo Berrettini -Nicolo’Schiliro’(Ita) 2:6,6:3,5:7

Rocco Savin that played this year Smrikva Bowl lost in the 1st round.

UNDER 16 – Boys

Filippo Saloli (Ita) – played 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004

1st round: Filippo Saloli – Matteo Mascetti (Ita) 3:6, 6:3, 6:2
2nd round: Filippo Saloli – Dario Cimino (Ita) 6:1, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Filippo Saloli – Valentino Ciotti (Ita) 3:6, 6:4, 6:4
Semifinals: Filippo Saloli – Roberto Vacchi (Ita) 6:1, 6:4
Finals: Filippo Saloli – Eduard L.Mihaescu (Ita) 4:6, 6:4, 6:7

Congratulations!

At the end of the article you will find a part of an article published by Federtennis.it where 26th Lemon Bowl 2010 is explained in numbers by tennis coach and tournament director Paolo Verna.

over 1800 players in 6 age groups
1816 matches played in 3 weeks
15 countries participated
200 people in Staff
300.000 website pages visits in 2 months

ABOUT LEMON BOWL FROM FEDERTENNIS.IT (in Italian)

Manca davvero poco al termine di questa 26esima edizione del Lemon Bowl Babolat 2010. Oggi si conosceranno i nomi dei 24 finalisti del torneo che come tradizione vedrà consegnare le ambite coppe piene di limoni nel giorno della Befana.

Un torneo durato oltre tre settimane con 1816 incontri giocati sui campi messi a disposizione dal New Penta 2000, dalla Madonnetta Fitness Park, dall’Eschilo 2 e dalla Polisportiva Palocco che hanno accolto con piacere e grande disponibilità tutti i partecipanti provenienti da ogni parte di Italia e da 15 nazioni straniere.

A due giorni dal termine è tempo di tirare le somme per una manifestazione che vede impegnate complessivamente circa 200 persone tra staff tecnico, direzione di gara, responsabili dei campi e della manutenzione, addetti alla ristorazione ed al ricevimento degli atleti e dei loro accompagnatori.

E’ soddisfatto il direttore del torneo, il maestro Paolo Verna, che da sempre cura ogni particolare nell’organizzazione di un evento sportivo divenuto ormai un appuntamento fisso delle vacanze natalizie per i giovani tennisti. Sottolinea la grande partecipazione al torneo, l’alto livello tecnico visto sui campi da gioco, l’attenzione che i giornali, i siti web, i maestri e i tecnici e tutti gli appassionati di questo sport hanno rivolto a questa manifestazione (soltanto il sito internet ufficiale ha raggiunto le 300.000 pagine visitate negli ultimi due mesi): “Raccogliere oltre 1800 iscritti è la dimostrazione che il movimento tennistico giovanile è in continuo sviluppo e che i piccoli giocatori apprezzano questa manifestazione e tornano volentieri per partecipare”.

31/12/09

Two Smrikva Bowl players: Alex de Minaur and Lea Boskovic won the under 10 European Masters TTK Warriors Tour played in Barcelona

European Masters TTK Warriors Tour was played in Barcelona and several Smrikva Bowl players participated.

The event was held at Academia Sanches-Casal from 16th till 20th of December 2009.

I was pleased to read that two Smrikva Bowl players obtained the victory in under 10 age group:

In the girls draw finals Lea Boskovic from Croatia defeated Paula Arias from Spain with result 4:0, 4:2.

In the boys draw finals Alex de Minaur from Spain, 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 quarterfinalist, defeated Will Davies from UK with result 4:0, 4:2.

16 Euroepan countries participated in this European Masters promoted by TTK.

24/12/09

Greetings to all former and future Smrikva Bowl players for the New 2010

There are many Smrikva Bowl and “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl players that have obtained extraordinary results during the current year 2009 and most of them have significantly progressed on various ranking lists since the beginning of the year.

Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, has progressed to #82 on WTA list and is currently the best ranked Smrikva Bowl player.

Ajla Tomljanovic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up and 3rd ranked on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, jumped form # 980 on WTA list to the ranking # 302 WTA

Javier Marti, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, has progressed to #689 on ATP list and is currently the best ranked Smrikva Bowl player in the boys cathegory.

There are so many young girls that this year started to compete among professionals and we can expect a lot from some of them in the following years such as: Martina Caregaro(#773 on WTA), Ema Burgic (#718 on WTA), Jennifer Ren (#949 on WTA), Silvia Njiric (#892 on WTA).

Many of them are still even younger and should be remembered for their talents and good result on the Smrikva Bowl such as: Dominic Thiem, George Morgan, Ciprian Porumb, Ivan Levar, Miki Jankovic, Saska Gavrilovska, Blair Shankle, Anna Mamalat, Matteo Donati, Gyore Laszlo, Gianluigi Quinzi, Nikola Milojevic, Olga Yanchuk, Jose Gracia, Yale Goldberg, Dorothy Tang, Eleanor Dean, Dina Paocic, Christina Makarova, Bogdan Borza, Gonzalo Morell, Sergiu Bucur, Virginia Pena, Ana Konjuh, Nina Potocnik, Katie Dayson, Eduardo Nava, Tommy Paul, Ndindi Ndunda, Luka Panic, Mihnea Turcu, Grega Kokalj, Andrea Guerrieri, Katarina Jokic, Maia Lumsden, Viktoria Kuzmova, Estela Perez Somarriba, Justine Lee, William Blumberg, Ingrid Neel, Paulina Ferrari, Alvaro Regalado Pedrol, Samuele Ramazzotti, Karlo Suevich, Alejandro Davidovich, Katie Swan, Jovana Vukovic, Inci Ogut, Arianna Capogrosso, Noah Schachter, Alex Gee, Michaela Gordon, Ashley Lahey.

There are many other players but it is hard to recall each of them. Every player about whom we wrote in our news section this year deserves to be congratulated for their achievements.

I wish to each Smrikva Bowl player another happy and successful 2010 and I also hope that we will have another nice and successful Smrikva Bowl.

All the best also to the Smrikva Bowl Staff and each Honorary and Golden Smrikva Bowl Member.

Thanks to all of you for the support and for spreading the word about Smrikva around the World :).

21/12/09

Smrikva Bowl players made outstanding results on 3rd "Little Mo" International 2009: Alessia Welti and Ingrid Neel won the under 10 and under 11 age group

Little Mo International – is a tournament organized by aureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCB Tennis Foundation), played in the USA, and dedicated to age groups under 8 till under 11.

3rd “Little Mo” International 2009 was held from December 15-19, 2009. in Club Med Sandpiper in Port Saint Lucie (Florida)

On the following picture you can see Jaeda Daniel & Alessia Welti-Girls’ 10 Finalist & Winner, and Carol Weyman in a white warmup along with Cindy Brinker Simmons and her son, William.

SMRIKVA BOWL PLAYERS and “Little Mo”/SMRIKVA BOWL PLAYERS THAT ATTENDED THIS YEAR EDITION ARE THE FOLLOWING:

Ingrid Neel (USA)
Alessia Welti (SUI)
Neli Sunjic (CRO)
Max Stewart (GBR)
Alex Gee (USA)
Matic Zaplotnik (SLO)
Jernej Zaplotnik (SLO)
Anthony Popyrin (AUS)

Most of them made very good result as follows:

GIRLS

Ingrid Neel from the USA. 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2008 player, was the winner of the under 11 main draw.

Alessia Welti from Switzerland, 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 quarterfinalist, was the winner of the under 10 main draw.

Neli Sunjic from Croatia, 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 player, reached the semifinals of the under 10 main draw.

BOYS

Max Stewart from Great Britain, 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 player, reached the semifinals of the under 10 main draw.

Alex Gee from the USA, 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2009 player won the under 10 consolation draw.

Jernej Zaplotnik from Slovenia, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 player, reached the quarterfinals of the under 11 main draw.

Matic Zaplotnik from Slovenia, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 player, reached the 3rd place in the round robin group of 23 players in the under 10 age group but only 2 players qualified for the main draw.

Congratulations!

20/12/09

Smrikva Bowl players results on 48th Junior Orange Bowl 2009. Ana Knjuh, Eduardo Nava and Borna Coric reached the quarterfinals in under 12 and under 14 age groups.

I was pleased to recognize several Smrikva Bowl players names on this year acceptance list for the 48th Junior Orange Bowl 2009 – International Tennis Championship.

Eddie Herr was a tennis visionary who developed the international junior tournament circuit. In 1947, hoping to provide her with an opportunity to compete over the December school holidays, Herr conceived and organized the first Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships.

Almost every top player played this Championship thus let’s see former Smrikva Bowl players results on the 48th Junior Orange Bowl 2009 edition.

BOYS:

UNDER 12

Nava Eduardo (USA) – part of the “Little Mo” team in 2007
1st round: Eduardo Nava – David Alcazar (Gtm) 6:0, 6:1
2nd round: Eduardo Nava – Lucas Taylor (Gbr) 6:4, 6:1
3rd round: Eduardo Nava – Gabriel Pilones (USA) 6:2, 6:2
4th round: Eduardo Nava – Raheel Manji (Can) 6:3, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Eduardo Nava – Spencer Furman (USA) 5:7, 3:6

Bednarczyk Dylan Adam (CAN)
1st round: Dylan Bednarczyk – Lucas Therrien (Jam) 6:0, 6:0
2nd round: Dylan Bednarczyk – Rodrigo Budnik (Chl) 7:6, 6:0
3rd round: Dylan Bednarczyk – Alex Rybakov (USA) 6:3, 2:6, 6:4
4th round: Dylan Bednarczyk – Andrey Rublev (Rus) 6:3, 2:6, 1.6

Paul Tommy (USA) – part of the “Little Mo” team in 2007
1st round: Tommy Paul – Anil Kwast (Nld) 6:4, 7:6
2nd round: Tommy Paul – Sora Fakuda (Jpn) 6:2, 6:1
3rd round: Tommy Paul – Cameron Klinger (USA) 4:6, 6:3, 2:6

UNDER 14

Coric Borna (CRO)
1st round: Borna Coric – Andres Alfonzo (Ven) 6:4, 6:2
2nd round: Borna Coric – Justin Roberts (Bhs) 6:2, 6:1
3rd round: Borna Coric – Fedor Andrienko (Rus) 6:4, 6:3
4th round: Borna Coric – Joseph Di Giulio (USA) 7:6, 6:4
Quarterfinals: Borna Coric – M.Mc Donald (USA) 3:6, 1:6

Goldberg Yale (USA) – part of the “Little Mo” team in 2005
1st round: Yale Goldberg – Artem Oganesyan (Rus) 6:4, 6:1
2nd round: Yale Goldberg – Eyal Cohen (Isr) 6:3, 6:3
3rd round: Yale Goldberg – Jose Gomez (Mex) 1:6, 7:6, 4:6

Quinzi Gianluigi (ITA) – 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner
1st round: Gianluigi Quinzi – Inkyo Jeong (Kor) 6:1, 6:2
2nd round: Gianluigi Quinzi – Christian Garay (Usa) 7:5, 7:5
3rd round: Gianluigi Quinzi – M.Mc Donald (USA) 6:7, 5:7

Miocic Franko (Cro)
1st round: Franko Miocic – Taiki Hashimoto (Jpn) 6:3, 6:3
2nd round: F.Miocic – Thai Kwiatkowski (USA) 7:6, 5:7, 6:7

Suica Marin (Cro)
1st round: Marin Suica – Adam Nasim (Pak) 6:2, 6:3
2nd round: Marin Suica – Justin Butsch (Usa) 4:6, 3:6

GIRLS:

UNDER 12

Konjuh Ana (CRO) – 12th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up
1st round: Ana Konjuh – Monika Kavace (Lva) 6:0, 6:0
2nd round: Ana Konjuh – Hanna Kantenwein (Ger) 6:1, 6:1
3rd round: Ana Konjuh – Priyanka Sundhar (USA) 6:0, 6:0
4th round: Ana Konjuh – Diana Kussainova (USA) 6:2, 6:4
Quarterfinals: Ana Konjuh -Julia O’Loughlin (USA) 6:0,6:7,2:6

Ndunda Ndindi (USA) – part of the “Little Mo” team in 2007
1st round: Ndindi Ndunda – Kristel Altman (Cri) 6:0, 6:0
2nd round: Ndindi Ndunda – Qian Ting Yan (Chn) 6:1, 6:2
3rd round: Ndindi Ndunda – Lana Rush (Gbr) 2:6, 6:2, 1:6

Plews Jazzi (GBR)
1st round: Jazzi Plews – Valeria Humpierres (Ven) 6:0, 6:0
2nd round: Jazzi Plews – Kellyn Abbanat (Usa) 2:6, 1:6

Sunjic Margita (CRO)
1st round: Margita Sunjic – Adriana Reami (USA) 6:3, 6:4
2nd round: Margita Sunjic – Patricia Muamba (Can) 4:6, 3:6

UNDER 14

Makarova Christina (USA) – part of the “Little Mo” team in 2006
1st round: Christina Makarova – Sasha Aldred (Sgp) 6:0, 6:0
2nd round: C.Makarova – Rasheeda McAdoo (Usa) 4:6, 6:1, 6:2
3rd round: Christina Makarova – Caroline Kallberg (Swe) 6:0, 6:1
4th round: Christina Makarova – Marijana Vlahinic (Cro) 4:6, 0:6

Kandler Caroline (AUT)
1st round: Caroline Kandler – Tracy Dong (Can) 0:6, 0:6

In the following I am pleased to post an article prepared by Jeff Shain and published on Orange Bowl official website because several top Smrikva Bowl and “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl players are mentioned in it, such as: Yale Goldberg, Christina Makarova, Franko Miocic and Tommy Paul.

I put also some pictures from the period when they played “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl in Smrikve in the article with some players mentioned in the article and in the results above.

UPSET HELPS OHIOAN DOUBLE LONG DAY’S REWARD

By JEFF SHAIN

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Dec. 19, 2009) – Yale Goldberg held his cool through some dicey moments in taking down second-seeded Artem Oganesyan, then won again a little more than two hours later to highlight a marathon session at the 48th Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship. Goldberg (Beachwood, Ohio) began Saturday with a 6-4, 6-1 takedown of Oganesyan in his rain-delayed opening match in the boys 14 and under draw, then defeated Israel’s Eyal Cohen 6-3, 6-3 to join some 50 other entrants to score two-win days. “It worked out well,” Goldberg said after completing his day at the University of Miami Tennis Center. “Both matches went two [sets], so that was nice.”

Picture Note: on the following 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2005 picture Yale Goldberg is the first boy on the right side of the trophy.

After two days marred by heavy storms, the tournament went into overdrive to clear a backlog of more than 250 matches spread out over its four sites. Saturday ended with two rounds completed in all divisions, leaving just one more round to get back on schedule. Accomplishing that, though, required a long day with play finishing underneath the lights. Some second-round matches in the girls 14s were shifted to UM to ease long delays at the Biltmore.

“I was excited for that,” said Christina Makarova (San Diego), whose three-set victory over Rasheeda McAdoo was the next-to-last match to finish at UM. Goldberg provided the day’s biggest wave with his upset of Oganesyan, the big-hitting Russian who came to South Florida ranked sixth among Europe’s juniors.

Picture Note: on the following 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2006 picture Christina Makarova is the girl standing and holding the trophy starting from the left side while Gianluigi Quinzi is the boy sitting and hoding the trophy also starting from the left side.

“I’d never seen him play before,” said Goldberg, who broke Oganesyan’s serve twice late in the opening set. “He was more of a banger – trying to hit through me and hit big serves. I was staying back and playing steady, taking advantage of my opportunities. More [like] counterpunching.”

The victory came with a few heated moments, as Oganesyan was overruled on a couple of line calls and drew a code warning after being spotted talking to his coach during a bathroom break. The line judge later threatened the Russian with a game penalty when a woman persisted in talking to him between points. “It was frustrating,” Goldberg said. “It was hard to stay focused while the line judge has to remind him that coaching is illegal.” Goldberg*’s second match proved less draining, especially considering Cohen had survived a three-set showdown in his opener. Cohen did capture the first two games of the second set, but *Goldberg roared back to win six of the next seven.

The day’s most dramatic match belonged to sixth-seeded Thai Kwiatkowski, who went overtime in all three sets before beating Croatia’s Franko Miocic 6-7, 7-5, 7-6. “I didn’t come out ready to play,” said Kwiatkowski, runner-up at last month’s Eddie Herr tournament in Bradenton. “He came out and started playing well. I didn’t know what hit me. I was getting extremely frustrated with myself.”

Kwiatkowski, a North Carolina native who trains out of the USTA’s Boca Raton training center, began to take a more aggressive approach early in the second set and managed to turn the tide. Miocic, frequently trying to keep himself pumped up, didn’t score a point in the third-set tiebreak. “I think he started getting a little bit nervous and didn’t play as well as he was playing the rest of the match,” Kwiatkowski said.

Makarova also righted some early stumbles to end the lucky loser run of McAdoo, daughter of Basketball Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo who won her first-round match after getting into the field as a replacement for Canada’s Katherine Surin.

Makarova jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but then saw McAdoo roar back to win six of the next eight games. But McAdoo couldn’t sustain the momentum, as Makarova won 11 of the match’s final 13 games. “For some reason I wasn’t winning that many points when I was [hitting] down the line or crosscourt,” Makarova said. “Then I just started lobbing them over her and that’s when I started winning them.”

Nor was it a good day for another offspring of a famous ex-athlete. Alexandra Kiick, daughter of former Dolphins running back Jim Kiick, was a second-round victim to seeded Hedda Odegaard of Norway.

In the 12s divisions, top-ranked Americans Tommy Paul (Greenville, N.C.) and Kenadi Hance (Torrance, Calif.) both reached the third round as did Boca Raton’s Stefan Kozlov and Mariya Shishkina, born in Kazakhstan but now living in Bradenton, Fla.

Picture Note: on the following 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2007 picture Tommy Paul is the boy sitting and holding the trophy on the left side nearby Ndindi Ndunda from the USA and the girl close to Ndindi Ndunda is Ana Konjuh from Croatia.

The Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship has a rich history of bringing some of the world’s most promising young tennis players to South Florida, including reigning U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro (2002 champion in 14U). The roster also has included Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Monica Seles, Chris Evert, Jim Courier and Mary Jo Fernandez.

19/12/09

Smrikve under the snow that has not been recorded in Pula since 1930

This morning I wake up early by the sound of a tunder and although was still night a brighter light than usual was entering the room… it was the morning of unexpected snow. I heard today that according to statistics since 1930 we did not have such a snow in Pula.

The Smrikve tennis courts looked very elegant this morning. The sunshine was light and for many kids in Pula it was the day to enjoy in this unusual snow for our town on the Adriatic sea.

15/12/09

Ana Ivanovic - Smrikva Bowl Honorary Member - about inspiring kids...

Ana Ivanovic recently gave an interview to Montenegro Family, the biggest-selling magazine in Montenegro, and the following is an extract from the Q & A session published on Ana’s website www.anaivanovic.com that I found as words of interest for the Smrikva comunity and decided to publish…

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’s motto is: “Never Stop Smiling” and what one could wish Ana?… never stop smiling :)

Ana Ivanovic – Smrikva Bowl Honorary Member…

Few years ago Ana Ivanovic started to donate signed t-shirts to the Smrikva Bowl finalists.

Katarina Jokic, Maia Lumsden, Katie Swan and Jovana Vukovic love Ana’s gift and I am also sure that this 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 the signed t-shirts 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.

14/12/09

Ajla Tomljanovic reached the semifinals of Dunlop Orange Bowl 2009

Ajla Tomljanovic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up and third ranked on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, over the last week reached the semifinals of Dunlop Orange Bowl 2009 – one of the most important junior events.

Ajla is the Croatian tennis rising star and although is only 16 years old has been for some time among the best players in her age group in the World. Ajla Tomljanovic is currently ranked #302 on WTA list and considering WTA ranking list there is only one girl in her age group (1993) with better ranking than her thus she is currently #*2 in the World* considering her age group among professionals.

Ajla’s road towards the semifinals of the Dunlop Orange Bowl 2009 was the following:

1st round: Ajla Tomljanovic – Natalija KOSTIC (Srb) 6:4, 6:1
2nd round: Ajla Tomljanovic – Paula KANIA (Pol) 6:2, 6:7, 6:2
3rd round: Ajla Tomljanovic – Yulia PUTINTSEVA (Rus) 5:7,6:0,6:1
Quarterfinals: Ajla Tomljanovic – Heather WATSON (Gbr) 6:2, 6:3
Semifinals: Tomljanovic – Kristina MLADENOVIC (Fra) 6:4,4:6,3:6

Congratulations Ajla!