News

18/09/08

Today we collected grapes and started 2008 Smrikve wine production

Today we collected grapes and started 2008 Smrikve wine production. It was a long day and several people helped us during the collection process. The grapes were yellow coloured and of sweet taste. We expect the wine to be good also this year.

The first phase of the processing was completed today. We collected the grapes but also separated the juice of the rest to obtain the golden colour that usually our Istrian Malvazija (Malmsey) wine has. Now for two days the fermentation will be blocked to allow the wine to start its transformation process cleaner than it is today after the collection.

In Smrikve we produce Istrian Malvazija (Malmsey) and during the Smrikva Bowl we use to give a bottle of wine to every family as a memory to their Smrikva Bowl.

In the regions where the wine is produced the wine was always part of the culture of the particular site. Also the wine we produce is part of the Smrikve tradition and this is the reason why we are pleased to give a bottle to every family that come to visit us for the Smrikva Bowl.

With todays collection we started the process of transforming the grapes into wine for the 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 edition.

For those who are not familiar with Istrian wine I am pleased to remined the reader that Istrian wine was considered one of the best in the Roman Empire, around 20 centuries ago, and was preferred by Livia Drusilla, also known as Iulia Augusta, the wife of the first Roman Emperor Augustus.

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.

15/09/08

Komot from Zagreb prepared new tennis blende for the Smrikve Central Court where the Smrikva Bowl finals are played

Vlado and Marija Babic are the owners of Komot, one of the leading companies in Croatia for the production of tennis blende. The company is based in Zagreb and their tennis programme on the webisite can be visited if you click on www.baplast-komot.hr .

Vlado and Marija are also the parents of Zvonimir Babic that played Smrikva Bowl twice several years ago. Since the first time their son played our tournament they decided to support Smrikva Bowl. They sponsored Smrikva Bowl with some articles they produce, among those products are also tennis blende. Today both Vlado and Marija Babic are Golden Smrikva Bowl Members and every year they make as a visit in Smrikve.

Vlado Babic is also the person that gave me the idea to plant an olive tree during the tournament. He enjoyed Smrikva Bowl and said that I should think about that idea and the year after we started to plant centuries old Olive Trees. I decided to plant the old olive tree to add to the traditional message of the olive tree the message of intergenerational responsibility that I think is an important message for the kids of today.

It is always a pleasure to have former Smrikva Bowl players in Smrikve and is always a pleasure to have some help from them that allow us to further develop Smrikva Bowl.

Thanks again Vlado and Marija!

13/09/08

Katarina Jokic and Nina Marjanovic during their stay at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy had the opportunity to further improve their friendship that started on the Smrikva Bowl

Katarina Jokic won the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 and had the opportunity to train for a week at prestigous Mouratoglou Tennis Academy near Paris. From this year one of Smrikva Bowl new friends is also Patrick Mouratoglou and he offered to the Smrikva Bowl winners this extraoridinary prize. The winner and one person are hosted for a week in the Academy.

Every Smrikva Bowl player was informed about this opportunity and to every player during the registration was presented the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy.

For Katarina this was one of her first international experiences after Smrikva Bowl and was also the first opportunities to get in contact with a professional tennis facility such as Mouratoglou Academy. It is likely that Katarina Jokic together with Maya Lumsden and Ingrid Neel is one of the best players in the World in her age group.

Let me continue this story… to explain also this new friendship developed between Nina Marjanovic and Katarina…

Nina Marjanovic is the best player in Serbia in her age group and she also played this year Smrikva Bowl. Nina is a kid that always smile and after the Smrikva Bowl her family decided to stay for few more days in Pula and to train in Smrikve. In those days they asked me about the opportunity to go to Paris. They asked me more information about the Academy and explained to me that they have lived in Paris and that they have an apartment there, so for them would be nice to apply for two weeks training.

I promissed to them that I would have checked with the Academy about the costs for their stay. In end Patrick Mouratoglou decided to offer to Nina two weeks of training in his Academy for free. Nina was very happy and thanks to this opportuntiy Nina and Katarina were toghether in Paris at the beginning of Septembar.

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

In the Academy they had the opportunity to meet and make a photo with Marcos Baghdatis, one of the players that has grown in Mouratoglou’s Academy.

Last week end Katarina Jokic was invited to play a tournament in Belgrade where also a hospitality was offered to her and her father but in end they preferred to stay in Nina’s Marjanovic home as their guest. It is nice to hear that when you have a hotel where you can sleep you prefer to stay in home of your friends. I was so happy to hear that and Katarina’s father more times repeated to me on the phone how he enjoyed the developing of this new friendship between Katarina and Nina.

Nina and Katarina spent a day in Disneyland and I would like to close this article with a text I wrote few months ago in relation with the Ambassadors nomination and the centuries old Olive Tree we plant all together every year. The text is related to Lion King cartoon, a Walt Disney cartoon, that is very mutch in line with the message the Olive Tree we plant trasmits to the Ambassadors.

It would be nice to think that Nina and Katarina friendship could develop into friendship similar to that enjoyed by Simba, Timon and Pumbaa in the cartoon. Here below is my text related with the Amabassadors nomination:

“The Lion King cartoon is an artwork and most of the life messages one can find in it are in line with the Smrikva Bowl. They are in line with the message of the Ambassadors’ Olive Tree; they are in line with the values of friendship and love; they are in line with empathy. Love, friendship and empathy are all Cosmopolitan values per excellence, as far as people and humanity are concerned.

The relationship between Mufasa, Sarabi and Simba reminds me of both: parents and family love, but also about the intergenerational responsability. Timon, Pumbaa and Simba relationship remineds me about love between friends. Pumbaa also make me think abuout empathy, intuition and loyalty. The relationship between Simba and Nola reminds me again about the importance of love. Rifiki, the wise old baboo, with his many centuries old tree remineds me about the importance of the knowledge and experience of the older. There are many other particular moments that every person on its own, based on his or her own life experience, discover by watching these artworks.

You might be interested to know that most of the characters’s names in this cartoon have a particular meaning in Swahili language: Simba means “lion”; Nala means “gift”, and love is for me one of the greatest gifts that people can receive and give during their lifes; Sarabi means “mirage”; Pumbaa means “dull-witted” or “stunned”; and Rafiki means “friend” :). These names with their meanings make me think of the American Indians and the way they used to give the names to their people.

Every person is born without knowing anything about life on this earth and it is the responsibility of every generation to understand and to learn, to preserve all that each of us is born with. When Mufasa was explaining to Simba that is not easy to be the King… a good King should know that everything around us lives in a delicated equilibrium and with intelligence we should try to understand it and respect it. The intergenerational responsibility alone will allow future generations to enjoy the beauty of life, the sunsets and the seasons of the earth. Enjoy the circle of life.”

“The future is always in a minority. Yet the history of the future is more important than the history of the past. It is for the old to remember the past. It is for the young to build the world of tomorrow.”

09/09/08

Top Smrikva Bowl and "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players on ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA and European under 14 and 16 ranking lists (update Septembar 2008)

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, is ranked #938 on ATP list. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006. Vilim Visak is currently ranked #407 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

GIRLS
Natali Zuliani, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

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.

GIRLS
Ivana Lisjak, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #375 on WTA list. Ivana’s best ranking was #95 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. His best ranking was around #800 on WTA list.

1999 – 4th Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Deni Zmak, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #1888 on ATP list. Deni Zmak is currently ranked #1052 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

GIRLS
Astrid Besser, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Italy, is ranked #403 on WTA list.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Adelchi Virgili, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Italy. Adelchi is very talented player but he continues to be injured. Hopefully he will be able to start to play professional tennis.

GIRLS
Tereza Mrdeza, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, is currently ranked #614 on WTA list.

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #44 on ITF ranking list. Marin Draganja played in the finals of the last year Avenire in Milan, one of the most important under 16 tennis tournaments in the World.
Dino Marcan, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #58 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #183 on WTA list.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #705 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 #1307 on ATP list and #611 on ITF ranking list. Giacomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, is ranked #69 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #1859 on ATP list.

GIRLS
Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #807 on WTA ranking list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #36 on ITF ranking list and was ranked #1067 on WTA list.
Ema Burgic, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #106 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #965 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Jordaan Sanford, played 1st “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #850 on ITF ranking list.

2003 – 8th Smrikva Bowl and 2nd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Dominic Thiem, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Austria, is ranked #36 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
George Morgan, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #551 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #102 in Europe in under 16 cathegory. George Morgan won Junior Orange Bowl 2007 under 14 age group. George Morgan also played the finals of the Prince Cup 2007.
Ciprian Porumb, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, is ranked #577 on ITF ranking list and and is ranked #7 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

GIRLS
Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #228 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #1075 on WTA list.
Silvia Njiric, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #68 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #957 on WTA list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Croatia, is ranked #36 on ITF ranking list and was ranked #1067 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Emmett Egger, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #46 in the USA in under 16 cathegory and is ranked #686 on ITF ranking list.
Robert Stineman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #168 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

Karen Forman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #157 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Katie Klyczek, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #437 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

2004 – 9th Smrikva Bowl and 3rd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #11 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #264 in under 16 cathegory.
Miki Jankovic, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #12 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #57 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

GIRLS
Saska Gavrilovska, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #62 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Ecaterina Opriou, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Romenia, is ranked #68 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Mitchel Polnet, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #205 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Rayan Andrada, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #898 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

Blair Shankle, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #7 in the USA in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #1167 on ITF ranking list.
Anna Mamalat, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #29 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

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 #67 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. Matteo Donati arrived in the semifinals of Junior Orange Bowl 2007 under 12 age group and he was the winner of the Prince Cup.
Gyore Laszlo, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #55 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gianluigi Quinzi, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #27 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Harry Busby, ranked 4th on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from UK, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory. In 2007, Harry Busby won Ouatt Kids Cup World Wide under 11 cathegory.
Nikola Milojevic, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 Consolation tournament winner, from Serbia, is ranked #24 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

GIRLS
Saska Gavrilovska, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #62 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Olga Yanchuk, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Ukraine, is ranked #15 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Jeffrey Schorsch, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #430 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Jose Gracia, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #190 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Yale Goldberg, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #57 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

Dorothy Tang, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #106 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

2006 – 11th Smrikva Bowl and 5th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Gianluigi Quinzi, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #27 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Filip Kraljevic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Croatia, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

GIRLS
Eleanor Dean, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Great Britain, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Dina Paocic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #259 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Daniel Maese, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #94 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Aries Wong, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #33 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Christina Makarova, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #12 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Gabriella Umoquit, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #102 in the USA in under 12 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 too young for under 14 european ranking.
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 too young for under 14 european ranking.
Ana Konjuh, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Croatia, is too young for under 14 european ranking. Ana Konjuh won the 2nd “Little Mo” International 2007 under 10 age group.
Nina Potocnik, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Slovenia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
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 #30 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Tommy Paul, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #77 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Ndindi Ndunda, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #68 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Domonique Garley, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #275 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
Justine Lee, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #178 in the USA in under 12 cathegory. In 2008, Justin Lee won Ouatt Kids Cup World Wide under 10 cathegory.
William Blumberg, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Ingrid Neel, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #36 in the USA in under 12 cathegory. In 2008, Ingrid Neel won Ouatt Kids Cup World Wide under 10 cathegory.
Paulina Ferrari, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #941 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

09/09/08

Katarina Jokic trained at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. This was one of her prizes for the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 victory

For Katarina is one of her first international experiences and first opportunities to get in contact with a professional tennis facility such as Mouratoglou Academy. This was also her first time in Paris and she take the opportunity to visit Paris’ tower but also Disneyland. In the Academy she had also the opportunity to make a photo with Marcos Baghdatis, one of the players that has grown in the Academy.

On the photo you can see Marcos Baghdatis with Katarina Jokic in Mouratoglou Tennis Academy.

I am pleased to share with people understanding Croatian Katarina’s e-mail where she explain her Paris experience…

Postovani gospodine Miodrag,

Ucesce na 13-om Smrikva Bowl turniru donijelo mi je puno lijepih trenutaka. Pobijedivsi na Smrikvi dobila sam mogucnost da posjetim Mouratoglou tenis akademiju u Parizu i osjetim kako izgleda profesionalni tenis. Trenirala sam sa djecom iz cijele Evrope. Iako govorimo razlicitim jezicima jako dobro smo se sporazumijevali. Vrijeme provedeno u akademiji je bilo ispunjeno napornim treninzima ali je veoma brzo proslo. Tamo sam srela prijatelje sa Smrikve i upoznala nove. Treneri na akademiji su nas smatrali svojim prijateljima i u svaki trening su unosili dozu humora.

Imala sam jedan slobodan dan i pokusala sam da ga najbolje iskoristim. Za obilazak Pariza potrebno je puno vise vremena a za ovaj put sam se oprijedjelila da obidjem Ajfelov toranj i Diznilend. Taj dan cu uvijek pamtiti. Nadam se da ce mi se u buducnosti pruziti sansa da vidim i druge znamenitosti ovog prelijepog grada.

Pozdrav svima sa Smrikve i vidimo se sljedece godine kada ce moj brat Andrej ucestvovati na turniru i zelim da sljedeci Smrikva Bowl u svemu nadmasi ovaj.

Katarina Jokic

09/09/08

News on Maia Lumsden from Scotland - 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up

I am pleased to share with Smrikva Bowl comuntiy tha latest news I received from Maia’s family about her progress…

Maia Lumsden from Scotland, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, the day after Smrikva Bowl played OUATT Kids Cup in Paris and reached the finals again.

After being in the final at Smrikva and Ouatt. Maia won her first International tournament Ligue Dauphine/savoie in France. She ended the summer by winning the British National under 10 championship.

Congratulations Maia and thanks for sending the news!

08/09/08

Petra Martic - 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner - reached the semifinals of USD 50.000 tournament in Maribor - Slovenia

Petra Martic reached the semifinals of the USD 50000 tournament in Maribor played this week .

Petra Martic is already the best ranked Smrikva Bowl player in the World. She is currently ranked #195 on WTA list.

Petra Martic’s road towards the semifinals was the following:

1st round: Petra Martic – Wienerova 6:3, 6:4
2nd round: Petra Martić – Zorić 6:1, 3:0 ret
Quarterfinals: Petra Martić – Jakimova (1) 5:2 ret
Semifinals: Petra Martić – Kucova ret 1:4

In the last two months Petra Martic won a USD 100.000 tournament and raeched the quarterfinals at a USD 145.000 tournament.

Petra Martic is 17 years old and is for sure the potential the TOP 100 WTA player.

04/09/08

Eleanor Dean, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, won the British Junior National Championship - under 12 age group

I just received the information from Eleanor’s father that Eleanor won the British National Championship under 12. Eleanor Dean won 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 and with this victory confirms the top UK player in her age group. Congratulations Eleanor!

Eleanor’s road towards the Championship was as follows:

1st round: Eleanor Dean – Anouska Newman 6:2, 6:1
2nd round: Eleanor Dean – Jasmine A. Asghar 6:1, 6:0
Quarterfinals: Eleanor Dean – Alannah Griffin 6:1, 6:1
Semifinals: Eleanor Dean – Alice Keddie 6:2, 6:2
Finals: Eleanor Dean – Eden Silva 6:0, 6:3

The following article is reported from http://www.lta.org.uk

Dean lifts singles trophy

Yorkshire’s Eleanor Dean won the girls’ singles title at the 12 & under Junior National Championships in Bournemouth on Wednesday. The 12 year-old defeated the No 4 seed, Essex’s Eden Silva, 6-0 6-3 in the final.

Dean dominated the early stages of the match and having won the opening set 6-0 raced into a 5-2 lead in the second. However, Silva fought back to break the No 1 seed’s serve before eventually losing on the fourth match point.

Reflecting after the match, Dean said: “It went really well today. I got a bit tight in the last couple of games but I managed to keep things together. I didn’t want to give it away at the end so I tried to be patient and wait for Eden’s mistakes. It’s amazing to have won. I’ve worked really hard to get here so I’m very pleased.”

In the doubles final, Dean clinched her second title of the day with Northumberland’s Grace Dixon by beating Leicestershire’s Katie Boulter and Middlesex’s Harriet Dart 6-1 6-2. The No 1 seeds impressively dropped just eight games en route to lifting the trophy.

01/09/08

The research process of the talents for the 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 started. Smrikva Bowl - one of the most important under 10 tennis tournaments in the World will take place from 24th - 28th june 2009

Dragi prijatelji Smrikve,
E-mail koji slijedi o najavi 14.tog Smrikva Bowl-a 2009 je pisan na tri jezika: Hrvatskom, Talijanskom i Engleskom jeziku.

Cari amici dello Smrikva,
La e-mail che segue e che presenta il 14-esimo Smrikva Bowl 2009 e’ stata scritto in tre lingue: Croato, Italiano ed Inglese.

Dear Smrikva Bowl friends,
The following e-mail about 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 is written in three languages: Croatian, Italian and English.

HRAVATSKI – CROATIAN – CROATO (14 SMRIKVA BOWL 2009)

Dragi prijatelji Smrikva Bowl-a,

Kao prvo vam želim prenijeti jedan dragi pozdrav od mene i cijelog Staff-a Smrikva Bowl-a prije nego vam predstavim i pozovem vas da pogledate prezentaciju 14.-tog Smrikva Bowl-a 2009.

Započela je selekcija mladih talenata za 14.-ti Smrikva Bowl 2009 koji će se održati u Puli (u Hrvatskoj) od 24 – 28 lipnja 2009 godine. Smrikva Bowl kao što mnogi od vas znaju okuplja najtalentiraniju djecu u tenisu do 10 godina na svijetu.

Na zadnji dan, 28 lipnja 2009 godine, će se igrati 8.-mi “Little Mo” / Smrikva Bowl, susret između najtalentiranijih igrača iz SAD-a i finalista Smrikva Bowl-a. “Little Mo” je najjači turnir u SAD-u i svake godine okupi oko 1700 djece. Andy Roddick je 1992 godine kad je imao 10 godina osvojio “Little Mo”.

Detaljniju prezentaciju sa formularom za prijavu za 14-ti Smrikva Bowl 2009 možete naći na našoj internet stranici http://www.smrikve.com/smrikva-bowl/ . Pozivam vas da na istoj stranici pogledate i video o 13.-tom Smrikva Bowl-u 2008. gdje možete upoznati i najuspješnije igrače sa 13.tog Smrikva Bowl-a 2008: Luku Panića iz Švicarske, Mihnea Turcu iz Rumunjske, Katarinu Jokić iz Bosne i Hercegovine i Maya-u Lumsden iz Škotske.

Pogledajte imena pobjednika i učesnika Smrikva Bowl-a jer će vjerojatno više njih postati dobri igrači. Na stranicama Smrikva Bowl-a pod sekcijom News možete pratiti njihove napretke. Puno hvala svim bivšim igračima Smrikve i roditeljima koji šalju vijesti o njihovim uspjesima i koje možete čitati na našoj stranici. Na taj način i sa ostalim prijateljima Smrikve možemo podijelili vaše uspjehe.

13.ti Smrikva Bowl 2008 je okupio najtalentiraniju djecu iz 24 zemlje i sa 5 kontinenata te su prvi puta nastupili igrači iz Australije a Sidney se nalazi na više od 16.000 kilometara od Pule. Do danas su kroz Smrikvu prošli igrači iz 34 zemlje svijeta.

Posebno mi je drago da ima novih zaljubljenika Smrikve koji se pridružuju postojećim prijateljima Smrikva Bowl-a. Ima ih puno ali posebno bi izdvojio da od ove godine imamo i poklon za pobjednike od Patrick-a Mouratoglou-a koji poklanja pobjednicima Smrikva Bowl-a sedam dana u njegovoj prestižnoj Akademiji i isto tako tvrtka Wilson koja pobjednike nagrađuje sponzorskim ugovorom.

Ako poznajete neko talentirano dijete rođeno 1999 godine koje bi zaslužilo zaigrati na Smrikvi biti ce nam drago da nam ga naznačite. Ako nastavite ili poželite širiti glas o Smrikvi u vašoj zajednici jednako smo vam zahvalni jer za djecu je Smrikva kao jedan veliki “rođendan”. Ako želite pripomoći Smrikvi isto tako ste dobro došli a i pozivamo vas da nas posjetite kao gledaoci turnira.

Misija turnira je širene kozmopolitanskih vrijednosti a djeca, sport, kultura i muzika su već dio tog svijeta.

Na kraju veliko hvala Ambasadorima Smrikva Bowl-a, Zlatnim Članovima Smrikve i Počasnim Članovima Smrikva Bowl-a koji na različite načine doprinose rastu Smrikve.

Srdačan pozdrav svima,

Miodrag Božović

ITALIANO – TALIJANSKI – ITALIAN (14 SMRIKVA BOWL 2009)

Cari Amici dello Smrikva Bowl,

Prima di presentarvi ed invitarvi a vedere la presentazione del 14.-esimo Smrikva Bowl 2009 desidero innanzitutto inviarvi un caro saluto sia da parte mia che di tutto lo Staff dello Smrikva Bowl.

E’ iniziata la selezione dei giovani talenti per il 14° Smrikva Bowl 2009 che si terrà a Pola (Croazia-Istria) dal 24 giugno fino al 28 giugno 2009. Smrikva Bowl come alcuni di voi sapranno raccoglie i migliori tennisti under 10 a livello mondiale.

L’ultimo giorno, il 28 giugno a Pola si giocherà l’ottava edizione di “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl che unisce il piu’ prestigioso torneo degli Stati Uniti, “Little Mo”, allo Smrikva Bowl. “Little Mo” e’ giocato ogni anno da oltre 1700 bambini ed Andy Roddick nel 1992 vinse “Little Mo”.

Sul sito http://www.smrikve.com/smrikva-bowl/ potete vedere la presentazione dell’edizione di quest’anno con il formulario d’iscrizione. Vi invito inoltre di visitare sulla stessa pagina il video del 13 Smrikva Bowl 2008. Nel video e sulle foto potrete conoscere i volti dei migliori ragazzi di quest’anno: Luka Panic dalla Svizzera, Mihnea Turcu dalla Romania, Katarina Jokic dalla Bosnia e Herzegovina e Maya Lumsden dalla Scozia.

Ricordatevi i nomi dei giocatori dello Smrikva Bowl perche’ alcuni stanno gia’ diventando grandi pian pianino! Sulla pagina principale dello Smrikva Bowl nella sezione dedicata alle News potete seguire i loro progressi. Desidero inoltre ringraziare tutti gli ex-giocatori e genitori che continuano ad inviarmi le notizie sui loro progressi ed in questo modo possiamo diffondere la voce sul loro progresso tra gli amici dello Smrikva.

13.-esimo Smrikva Bowl 2008 ha raccolto i migliori tallenti da 24 paesi e 5 continenti. Quest’anno abbiamo avuto per prima volta i partecipanti dall’Australia e Sydney si trova a piu’ di 16000 chilometri da Pola. Fino ad oggi Smrikva Bowl hanno giocato i ragazzi provenienti da 34 paesi.

Sono molto contento che quest’anno si sono aggiunti diversi nuovi amici dello Smrikva a quelli che ci seguono e supportano da anni. Sono in tanti ma vorrei ricordare in particolare l’Accademia di Patrick Mouratoglou ed il suo regallo ai vincitori di passare una settimana nella sua prestigiosa Accademia e vorrei ricordare la Wilson che offre ai vincitori il contratto di sponsorizzazione.

Se conoscete qualche ragazzo o ragazza del 1999 con il talento sarro’ lieto di farli partecipare al torneo. Se continuate a diffondere oppure volete iniziare a diffondere la voce del torneo nella vostra comunita’ siete altrettanto benvenuti. Coloro che hanno partecipato sanno che per i bambini e’ una grandissima festa e una bellissima esperienza. Se desiderate aggiungerci tra coloro che supportano il torneo siete ugualmente benvenuti !!! Siete invitati anche come spettatori visto che Pola e l’Istria sono splendide da visitare.

Lo scopo del torneo e’ lo sviluppo e la diffusione dei valori cosmopoliti e bambini, lo sport, la cultura e la musica sono gia’ parte di quel mondo.

In fine un sentito grazie agli Ambasciatori dello Smrikva Bowl, ai membri d’Oro dello Smrikva Bowl ed ai membri d’Onore dello Smrikva che in piu’ diversi modi aiutano lo sviluppo del torneo.

Un caro saluto a tutti,

Miodrag Bozovic

ENGLISH – ENGLESKI – INGLESE (14th SMRIKVA BOWL 2009)

Dear Smrikva Bowl Friends!

Before I present you and invite you to visit the 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 pdf file presentation I would like to forward you a warmest hello to each of you from me and from the Smrikva Bowl Staff.

The 14th annual Smrikva Bowl 2009 will be held next year in Pula, Croatia from 24th of June till 28th of June 2009. The tournament, which boasts the top 10 and under players World wide.

On 28th of June the Smrikve Tennis Club will also host the 8th annual “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl. This event combines the top players in this younger group from the United States and the Smrikva Bowl finalist playing against each other. “Little Mo” is the most important under 10 tennis tournament in the USA played by over 1700 kids and in 1992 the famous tennis player Andy Roddick won “Little Mo” when he was 10 years old.

There is a detailed presentation about 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 with the application form on our internet site http://www.smrikve.com/smrikva-bowl/. I also invite you to see on our internet site the video about 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008. In video and in the photo gallery you will see the best players of this year edition: Luka Panic from Switzerland, Mihnea Turcu from Romania, Katarina Jokic from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Maya Lumsden from Scotland.

Please remember the names of some Smrikva Bowl players because some of them might became good players very soon. In the Smrikva Bowl News section you can follow the progress of many of them. I would like to say thanks to all the former players and parents that keep me informed about their progresses because this way I can post the news about them and keep the community updated so all the people that are Smrikva Bowl friends can cheer your successes.

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 gathered top players from 24 countries and 5 continents and for the first time we had players from Australia. Sydney is located more than 16.000 kilometres far away from Pula. In all these years top players from 34 countries have played Smrikva Bowl.

I am very glad that we had also this year several new Smrikva Bowl friends that added to the list of our historical friends. Patrick Mouratoglou offered to the winners one week training in his prestigious Academy and Wilson decided to offer to the winners the sponsorship contract.

If you know a good tennis players born in 1999 that deserve to play Smrikva Bowl please let me know and I will be pleased to invite them to play this year edition. If you would like to become the Sponsor of the tournament you are also welcome. You are also invited to come as visitor for the tournament. Thank you in advance for spreading the word about Smrikva Bowl in your community.

Smrikva Bowl mission is to develop and spread Cosmopolitan values. Children, sport, culture and music are already part of the Cosmopolitan World.

In end a special thanks is due to the Smrikva Bowl Ambassadors, to the Golden Smrikva Bowl Members and to the Honorary Smrikva Bowl Members that make Smrikva Bowl possible.

Warmest regards,

Miodrag Bozovic

01/09/08

Ajla Tomljanovic lost in the third round of the Junior US Open... Marin Draganja, Dino Marcan, Giacomo Miccini and Silvia Njiric played also this year Junior US Open 2008

Marin Draganja, Dino Marcan, Giacomo Miccini and Silvia Njiric are the top Smrikva Bowl players that competed on the Junior US Open 2008.

Ajla Tomljanovic lost in the 3rd round and this is the best result of the top Smrikva Bowl players on this year Junior US Open. Ajla Tomljanovic is from Croatia and she was 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up and she ranked 3rd on the 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003.

Silvia Njiric is from Croatia and she was 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up.

Marin Draganja is from Croatia and he won the 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001.

Dino Marcan is also from Croatia and he was 6th Smrikva Bowl runner up.

Giacomo Miccini is from Italy and he was the 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up.

The obtained results are the following:
Ajla Tomljanovic
1st round: Ajla Tomljanovic (Cro) – Lauren Davis (USA) 6:3, 6:2
2nd round: Ajla T. (Cro)-Victoria Kemenskaya (Rus) 2:6, 7:6, 6:3
3rd round: Ajla Tomljanovic (Cro) – Gail Brodsky (USA) 1:6, 6:7

Silvia Njiric
1st round: Silvia Njiric (Cro) – Sandra Zaniewska (Pol) 6:1, 7:5
2nd round: Silvia Njiric (Cro) – Madison Brengle (USA) 6:7, 3:6

Dino Marcan
1st round: D. Marcan (Cro) – Karim M. Maamoun (Egy) 6:2, 6:2
2nd round: Dino Marcan (Cro) – Henri Kontinen (Fin) 6:3, 6:7, 3:6

Marin Draganja
1st round: Marin Draganja (Cro) – Cesar Ramirez (Mex) 2:6, 4:6

Giacomo Miccini
1st round: Giacomo Miccini (Ita) – Matthew Kandath (USA) 5:7, 4:6

27/08/08

Ivan Levar reached the finals and Dina Paocic the quartefinals of 24th Stella Maris Cup in Umag - an important European under 14 tennis tournament

On 25th of August the 24th Stella Maris Cup started. It is an important under 14 tennis tournament played in Umag in Istria (Croatia) – about 80 kilometres far away from Smrikve. This was for me a great opportunity to see many former Smrikva Bowl players that continue to be among the top players in their countries and Europe.

In the boys main draw there were two Smrikva Bowl winners: Ivan Levar from Croatia, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, and Matteo Donati from Italy, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner. I have seen also Filip Kraljevic from Croatia, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up.

In the girls main draw top ranked Smrikva Bowl players were: Dina Paocic from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kristina Ostojic from Serbia and Nina Potocnik from Slovenia.

There are many other Smrikva Bowl players that played Smrikva Bowl.

I had also opportunity to hear more about Saska Gavrilovska that is currently in Serbia after 3 years spent in the USA. She continues to play a very good tennis. Recently she played the final in Germany against Olga Yanchuk like on the Smrikva Bowl. She was the winner although few times Olga also won when they played during the last year.

Another good news is that Ariana Rabac, born in 1996, successfully passed the first round against Ivona Lovrekovic with the result 6:4, 6:3. Ariana lost in the second round against Violeta Jankovic from Serbia 6:1, 6:2. Violeta Jankovic is ranked #136 in Europe in under 14 age group cathegory. For Ariana Rabac that will be soon 12 years old this is one of her first under 14 experiences. Ariana trains at the Smrikve Tennis Club.

Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, road towards the finals was the following:

1st round: Ivan Levar (Cro) – Danilo Pejovic (Srb) – 6:2, 6:0
2nd round: Ivan Levar (Cro) – Marco Nanni (Ita) – 6:3, 6:3
3rd round: Ivan Levar (Cro) – Robert Djula (Cro) – 6:2, 6:2
Quarterfinals: Ivan Levar (Cro) – Borna Coric (Cro) – 6:2, 6:4
Semifinals: Ivan Levar (Cro) – Franko Miocic (Cro) – 6:0, 6:1
Finals: Ivan Levar (Cro) – Filip Veger (Cro)- 6:4, 5:7, 0:3 ret.

In the finals Levar suffered cramps and lost the match. Borna Coric played Smrikva Bowl when he was 9 years old and Karlo Skvorc that reached the other semifinals also played Smrikva Bowl at age of 9. When he was 10 years old he broke the hand and had to miss that year competition but today is one of the best players in his age group. Matteo Donati, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, lost in the 3rd round against Alexey Kondulukov.

Dina Paocic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Bosnia and Hezegovina was the best top ranked Smrikva Bowl player on 24th Stella Maris Cup. Dina Paocic reached the quarterfinals and she is only 12 years old. Recently Dina won the under 16 age group Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dina Paocic road towards the quartefinals was the following:

1st round: Dina Paocic (BiH) – Aleksandra Reljic (Srb) 6:2, 7:5
2nd roud: Dina Paocic (BiH) – Sandra Honigova (Cze) 6:3, 6:1
3rd round: Dina Paocic (BiH) – Tena Lukas (Cro) 6:2, 2:6, 7:6
Quarterfinals: Paocic (BiH) – Karolina Schmiedlova (Svk) 3:6, 1:6

Later on Karolina Schmiedlova, ranked #29 in under 14 age group in Europe, was the winner of 24th Stella Maris Cup.

Congratulations to all Smrikva Bowl players!

21/08/08

Katarina Jokic and Grega Kokalj won 12th Fratello Kup Nada - under 10 tennis tournament - in Banja Luka

Katarina Jokic and Grega Kokalj won 12th Fratello Kup Nada – under 10 tennis tournament that was played in Banja Luka. They both played 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008. Katarina Jokic won in the girls Smrikva Bowl finals while Grega Kokalj reached the semifinals and lost from the winner of the tournament – Luka Panic.

Katarina Jokic in the finals defeated Nina Jovic from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also Nina Jovic played this year Smrikva Bowl and lost in the second round against the first seeded player of the tournament.

Grega Kokalj’s road towards the victory from quarterfinals was the following:
Quarterfinals: Grega Kokalj (Slo) – S. Zukic (BiH) – 9:4
Semifinals: Grega Kokalj (Slo) – T. Andrejevski (Mak) – 9:4
Finals: Grega Kokalj (Slo) – Miomir Kecmanovic (Srb) – 9:0

Miomir Kecmanovic played this year Smrikva Bowl and he was born in 1999, so he can compete on our tournament also next year.

The boys main draw had 64 players, while the girls main draw had 48 players.

After this successfull tournament, Katarina Jokic will go to Paris to train for a week at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. This is one of the prizes Katarina obtained with her victory of the Smrikva Bowl.

Congratulations Katarina, Grega and Miomir!

19/08/08

Very nice article about Luka Panic - 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner - on www.croatia.ch

There is a very nice article written by Zvonimir Mitar for www.croatia.ch about Luka Panic and his victory on the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008. Luka Panic has Swiss passport but Croatian roots and both Swiss and Croats were happy for his victory.

For those who would like to see the original article please visit www.croatia.ch and for the Smrikve comunty readers I will report the whole article in the following. Please enjoy Luka’s story.

Luka Panić, Hrvat sa švicarskom putovnicom, osvojio je prvo mjesto na međunarodnom teniskom turniru Smrikva Bowl za djecu do deset godina

Jedna kratka vijest u novinama Glas Istre pod naslovom “ZAVRŠEN TENISKI TURNIR SMRIKVA BOWL U ŠTINJANU” i podnaslovom “Pobjednici Luka Panić i Katerina Jokić”, koja počinje rečenicom koju navodimo gore u naslovu, pobudila je naš interes pa smo pokušali saznati nešto više o tom teniskom turniru i o pobjedniku turnira Luki Paniću. No pogledajmo prvo taj članak iz Glasa Istre:

ZAVRŠEN TENISKI TURNIR SMRIKVA BOWL U ŠTINJANU
Pobjednici Luka Panić i Katerina Jokić

PULA – Luka Panić, Hrvat sa švicarskom putovnicom, osvojio je prvo mjesto na međunarodnom teniskom turniru Smrikva Bowl za djecu do deset godina koji je u Štinjanu održan 13. put. U finalu održanom u subotu Panić je pobijedio Rumunja Mihunea Turca koji je osvojio drugo mjesto.

U finalu djevojčica pobijedila je Katerina Jokić iz Bosne i Hercegovine, a druga je bila Maya Lumsden iz Škotske. Treće mjesto među dječacima dijele Andrea Guerrieri iz Italije i Grega Kokalj iz Slovenije. U ženskoj konkurenciji treće mjesto podijelile su Viktoria Kuzmova iz Slovačke i Estela Peres Somarriba iz Španjolske. Na svečanosti dodjele nagrada na terenima Teniskog kluba Smrikva u Štinjanu nastupili su baletni studio Rondo i KUD Balun iz Vodnjana. Prvi put su na turniru sudjelovali i natjecatelji iz Australije pa se natjecalo ukupno sto sudionika s pet kontinenata i iz 24 zemlje. Nakon Smrikva Bowla, jučer je održan sedmi Little Mo/Smrikva Bowl turnir koji ujedinjuje dva dječja turnira te na njemu sudjeluju igrači iz SAD-a i ostatka svijeta.
P. Lu.

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Tražeći više podataka o tom turniru, u Glasu Istre naišli smo i na najavu turnira:

Sto malih tenisača iz cijelog svijeta

Ove godine na turniru će sudjelovati djeca iz 24 zemlje s čak pet kontinenata

U nedjelju će se nakon finala Smrikva Bowla održati 7. Little Mo/Smrikva Bowl susret

PULA – Sutra u 8.30 sati na terenima Teniskog kluba “Smrikva” u Štinjanu započinje 13. Smrikva Bowl, međunarodni teniski turnir za djecu do 10 godina. Prvi je put odigran 1996. godine i danas slovi za jedan od najvažnijih dječjih turnira na svijetu. Ove je godine prijavljeno više od stotinu djece iz 24 zemlje s čak pet kontinenta. Tako će, osim djece iz Hrvatske, nastupiti i mališani iz Bosne i Hercegovine, Alžira, Češke, Egipta, Engleske, Francuske, Mađarske, Italije, Makedonije, Poljske, Portorika, Rumunjske, Rusije, SAD-a, Srbije, Slovačke, Slovenije, Španjolske, Švicarske, Sirije, Turske i Ukrajine pa čak i Australije.

Brojni od njih u svojim su zemljama rangirani kao najbolji igrači, a velika većina je među prvih pet igrača u zemlji, rekao je organizator turnira Miodrag Božović te je dodao da će igrati i dva svjetska prvaka – iz Slovačke i Italije. Naglasio je i da je, osim pobjede na turniru, djeci važno što svi igrači Smrikva Bowla postaju “ambasadori turnira” i kao dio te ceremonije zajedno sade stoljetnu maslinu. Njihova je dužnost pomoći organizatoru u pronalaženju talenata za sljedeću godinu i zahvaljujući njihovim preporukama turnir iz godine u godinu raste.

Imenovanje ambasadora i sadnja masline zakazano je za četvrtak u 18 sati, dok se finale turnira igra u subotu od 9 do 12 sati, kada će uslijediti svečano proglašenje pobjednika. U nedjelju će se nakon finala Smrikva Bowla održati 7. Little Mo/Smrikva Bowl, susret koji ujedinjuje dva važna dječja turnira – štinjanski i američki. Little Mo slovi za najjači turnir u SAD-u koji je 1992. godine osvojio i poznati svjetski tenisač Andy Roddick. Zamišljen je kao susret američkih i europskih talentiranih igrača, a danas je to susret između najtalentiranijih igrača Amerike i ostatka svijeta.

Svi natjecatelji dobit će vrijedne poklone, a najbolji, osim sponzorskih ugovora, i boravak na svjetski poznatoj teniskoj akademiji Mouratoglou u Parizu.
B. PETROVIĆ

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7. Little Mo/Smrikva Bowl

Kao što u članku B. Petrovića vidimo, nakon finala Smrikva Bowla održan je i 7. Little Mo/Smrikva Bowl, zamišljen kao susret američkih i europskih talentiranih igrača, susret između najtalentiranijih igrača Amerike i ostatka svijeta.

Nakon što je pobijedio na turniru Smrikva Bowl, Luka Panić je kao pobjednik toga turnira uvršten u ekipu koja je kao reprezentacija ostatka svijeta u sastavu Luka Panić (CH), Mihnea Turcu (Rom), Katarina Jokic (BiH), Maia Lumsden (Sco) pobijedila američku reprezentaciju u sastavu Justin Lee, William Blumberg, Ingrid Neel i Paolina Ferrari, koju je selektirala američka MCB Tennis Foundation. Susret je doduše završio rezultatom 4:4, ali je ostatak svijeta ipak pobijedio s više osvojenih setova u omjeru 9:8.

Pogledajmo rezultate:

13^th Smrikva Bowl 2008 Results

13^th Smrikva Bowl 2008 Press Release

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Tragom tih članaka krenuli smo “u potragu” za pobjednikom turnira Lukom Panićem, Hrvatom sa švicarskom putovnicom, dječakom od 10 godina kojeg vidimo gore na slici u prvom članku. Prvi koraci u toj potrazi, kao i obično, krenu preko interneta, a onda se “klupko polako odmata” i podataka je sve više i više:

Luka Panić, rođen 8. veljače 1998., član je tenis kluba STS Junioren TC, TC Wädenswil, klasiran u kategoriji R5, osvojio je 1. mjesto na švicarskom juniorskom teniskom kupu, a osim tenisa voli plivanje, glazbu i nogomet, voli jesti Spaghetti Bolognese i piti Ice-Tea, uz životni moto – uvijek misliti pozitivno: http://www.sts-tennis.ch/spieler/elite/luka_panic/luka_panic.htm

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Pod naslovom “Luka Panic siegt im Kroatien” nalazimo članak: “Grosser Erfolg für den 10-jährigen Luka Panic, der Schweizer Nummer 3 seines Jahrganges: Er gewann mit der Smrikva Bowl in Pula (Kroatien) das grösste 10&U Turnier Europas.

Für den C-Kader-Junior, der in der Swiss Tennis Partner Academy Sjögren’s Tennisschool STS in Wangen trainiert, ist dies der erste internationale Erfolg seiner noch sehr jungen Karriere.”

u prijevodu: Luka Panić pobijedio u Hrvatskoj – Veliki uspjeh 10-godišnjeg Luke Panića, švicarskog broja 3 svoga godišta. On je pobijedio Smrikva Bowl u Puli (Hrvatska), najveći europski turnir za 10-godišnjake (10&U).

Za juniora iz C-kadera, koji trenira u teniskoj školi Swiss Tennis Partner Academy Sjögren’s Tennisschool STS u Wangenu, to je prvi internacionalni uspjeh u njegovoj još vrlo mladoj karijeri.

A tu je još i jedan članak u Zürichsee-Zeitung – linkes Ufer: ZSZ links 10 07 08.pdf

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Iz privatnih izvora saznali smo da Luka Panić potječe iz obitelji koja je u Švicarsku došla iz Međimurja. Rodio se 08. 02.1998 g. u Münsterlingenu TG (Bodensee). S tri godine je počeo igrati tenis. Lukini roditelji su slučajno primjetili da može deset, dvadeset puta spužvastom lopticom udariti na zid u stanu. Otac ga je odveo na teniski teren, gdje se snašao bolje od petogodišnjaka i šestogodišnjaka i tako je počeo igrati tenis. Nakon što se obitelj preselila u Au/Wädenswil ZH, tu je Luka našao i svoj matični klub TC Wädenswil.

Prvi trener mu je bio Werner Morgenthaler TC Wädenswil, ali je ubrzo promijenio trenera.

Trener koji mu je pokazao sve vještine tenisa zove se Boris Grbić iz TC Neubüel Wädenswil, s kojim i danas trenira.

Nakon dvije godine ulazi u Regional Verband Zürichsee/Linth Tennis i trenira istovremeno i dva puta kod Swiss Tennis Akademy: Sjoegrens Tennisschool u Wangenu SZ.

Jako veliki uspjeh postigao je s osam godina. Bio je ukupan pobjednik Swiss Junior Cupa za juniore do deset godina i otprilike osvojio 12 turnira – Rangliste-U10-Boys-06.pdf, a saznali smo i jednu interesantnu, upravo nevjerojatnu zgodu, koja se dogodila kada je Luka te godine igrao Swiss Junior Cup na turniru u Botmingenu BL.

Turnir se igrao u dvije kategorije, u kategoriji do deset i do dvanaest godina. Luka je tada bio 8 godina star, a prijavio se za turnir do deset godina. No voditeljica turnira je zabunom stavila Luku u tablo do dvanaest godina i to se više zbog termina igranja nije moglo mijenjati pa je Luka igrao u konkurenciji dvanaestgodišnjaka i na veliko iznenađenje svih, pobijedio taj turnir, iako je imao samo osam godina, a igrao u konkurenciji dvanaestgodišnjaka.

S devet godina napravio je veliki napredak i osvojio ca. 20 turnira, a s deset godina, krajem svibnja 2008. godine uvršten je u Swiss Nationalkader C.

Najveći uspjeh u dosadašnjoj karijeri postigao je 25. do 28. lipnja 2008. godine u Štinjanu kraj Pule, u Hrvatskoj, na najvećem turniru u Europi za djecu do 10 godina – “Smrikva Bowl” – o čemu je riječ u ovome prilogu portala, a opširnije o tom turniru možete pogledati na linku www.smrikve.com.

S obzirom da Lukina obitelj dolazi iz Međimurja, tata Josip iz Orehovice, a mama Darinka iz Čehovca, Luka je postao i član Tenis kluba “Franjo Punčec” u Čakovcu, pa je za očekivati da će, nastavi li ovako, danas-sutra i Luka doći u situaciju u kojoj su se nalazili nogometaši Petrić i Rakitić, da mora odlučiti za koju će domovinu nastupati; za Švicarsku, u kojoj se rodio i napravio prve teniske korake ili za Hrvatsku, domovinu svojih roditelja, koja mu je isto tako prirasla srcu.

*****

Fotogalerija – Smrikva Bowl

Photos of the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 players

*****

I na kraju, nađite vremena, kliknite na link http://www.smrikve.com/smrikva-bowl/ i pogledajte 20-minutni video snimak teniskog turnira 13. Smrikva Bowl 2008, na kojem će Vas iznenaditi bogati popratni program turnira i kvalitet prikazanih teniskih susreta, a od 15. minute nadalje vidjet ćete na snimci isječak iz finalnog susreta Luke Panića protiv Rumunja Mihunea Turca (Luka u plavoj majici), proglašenje pobjednika turnira, Luku s osvojenim pokalima i njegovu vožnju biciklom, kojeg je dobio kao nagradu za osvojeni turnir i, kako to priliči pobjednicima, Luku kako se potpisuje na velikoj teniskoj lopti.

Za portal: Zvonimir Mitar

08/08/08

Top Smrikva Bowl and "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players on ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA and European under 14 and 16 ranking lists (update August 2008)

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, is ranked #925 on ATP list. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006. Vilim Visak is currently ranked #422 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

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 #339 on WTA list. Ivana’s best ranking was #95 in June 2006.

IN 1998 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

1999 – 4th Smrikva Bowl
Boys
Deni Zmak, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #1867 on ATP list. Deni Zmak is currently ranked #1036 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

Girls
Astrid Besser, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Italy, is ranked #412 on WTA list.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl
Boys
Adelchi Virgili, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Italy. Adelchi is very talented player but he continues to be injured. Hopefully he will be able to start to play professional tennis.

Girls
Tereza Mrdeza, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, is currently ranked #637 on WTA list.

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl
Boys
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #43 on ITF ranking list. Marin Draganja played in the finals of the last year Avenire in Milan, one of the most important under 16 tennis tournaments in the World.
Marcan Dino, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #57 on ITF ranking list.

Girls
Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #195 on WTA list.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #722 on WTA list.

IN 2002 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE A EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Boys
2002 – 7th Smrikva Bowl and 1st”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Javier Marti, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Spain, is ranked #907 on ITF ranking list. Javier Marti is currently ranked #1571 on ATP Doubles Ranking.
Giaccomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, is ranked #65 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #1867 on ATP list. Giacomo Miccini is currently ranked #1315 on ATP Doubles Ranking.
Giacomo Miccini trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Giacomo Miccini is among the best players in the World in his age group.

Girls
Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #796 on WTA ranking list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #41 on ITF ranking list and was ranked #1067 on WTA list.
Ema Burgic, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #103 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #955 on WTA list.

*“Little Mo” team*
Jordaan Sanford, played 1st “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #835 on ITF ranking list.

2003 – 8th Smrikva Bowl and 2nd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Boys
Dominic Thiem, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Austria, is ranked #133 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
George Morgan, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #583 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #180 in Europe in under 16 cathegory. George Morgan won Junior Orange Bowl 2007 under 14 age group. George Morgan also played the finals of the Prince Cup 2007.
Ciprian Porumb, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, is ranked #563 on ITF ranking list and and is ranked #9 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

Girls
Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #217 on ITF ranking list.
Silvia Njiric, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #67 on ITF ranking list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Croatia, is ranked #41 on ITF ranking list and was ranked #1067 on WTA list.

*“Little Mo” team*
Emmett Egger, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #62 in the USA in under 16 cathegory and is ranked #660 on ITF ranking list.
Robert Stineman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #173 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Karen Forman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #183 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Katie Klyczek, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #433 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

2004 – 9th Smrikva Bowl and 3rd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Boys
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #8 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Miki Jankovic, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #11 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

Girls
Saska Gavrilovska, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Serbia, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Ecaterina Opriou, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Romenia, is ranked #170 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

*“Little Mo” team*
Mitchel Polnet, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #205 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Rayan Andrada, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #907 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Blair Shankle, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #4 in the USA in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #1143 on ITF ranking list.
Anna Mamalat, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #25 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

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 #58 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. Matteo Donati arrived in the semifinals of Junior Orange Bowl 2007 under 12 age group and he was the winner of the Prince Cup.
Gyore Laszlo, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #54 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gianluigi Quinzi, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #26 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. Gianluigi Quinzi trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Harry Busby, ranked 4th on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from UK, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory. In 2007, Harry Busby won Ouatt Kids Cup World Wide under 11 cathegory.
Nikola Milojevic, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 Consolation tournament winner, from Serbia, is ranked #55 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

Girls
Saska Gavrilovska, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Serbia, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Olga Yanchuk, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Ukraine, is ranked #49 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

*“Little Mo” team*
Jeffrey Schorsch, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #489 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Jose Gracia, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #223 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Yale Goldberg, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #61 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Dorothy Tang, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #126 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

2006 – 11th Smrikva Bowl and 5th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Boys
Gianluigi Quinzi, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #26 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. Gianluigi Quinzi trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Filip Kraljevic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #25 in Croatia in under 14 cathegory.

Girls
Eleanor Dean, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Great Britain, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Dina Paocic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #332 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

*“Little Mo” team*
Daniel Maese, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #88 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Aries Wong, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #38 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Christina Makarova, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #9 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Gabriella Umoquit, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #209 in the USA in under 12 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 too young for under 14 european ranking.
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 too young for under 14 european ranking.
Ana Konjuh, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Croatia, is too young for under 14 european ranking. Ana Konjuh won the 2nd “Little Mo” International 2007 under 10 age group.
Nina Potocnik, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Slovenia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
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 #33 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Tommy Paul, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #71 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Ndindi Ndunda, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #101 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Domonique Garley, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #296 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*
Justine Lee, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #231 in the USA in under 12 cathegory. In 2008, Justin Lee won Ouatt Kids Cup World Wide under 10 cathegory.
William Blumberg, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Ingrid Neel, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #33 in the USA in under 12 cathegory. In 2008, Ingrid Neel won Ouatt Kids Cup World Wide under 10 cathegory.
Paulina Ferrari, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #964 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

29/07/08

Ivan Levar reached the semifinals at the European Junior Tennis Championship in under 14 age group cathegory in Pilsen - Czech Republic

Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #11 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and this week he reached the semifinals at the European under 14 tournament in Pilsen – Czech Republic.

The road towards the semifinals was the following:
1st round: Bye
2nd round: Ivan LEVAR – Ivan DIVKOVIC (BIH) 6:0, 6:0
3rd round: Ivan LEVAR – Jacek JAKUBSKI (POL) 6:3, 6:3
4th round: Ivan LEVAR – Herkko POLLANEN (FIN) 6:2, 6:1
Quarterfinals: Ivan LEVAR – Patrik FABIAN (SVK) 1:6, 6:2, 7:5
Semifinals: Ivan LEVAR – Moos SPORKEN (NED) 2:6, 2:6

Congratulations Ivan!

25/07/08

Marin Draganja and Tereza Mrdeza played the under 18 European Junior Championships 2008 in Badhofgastein in Austria

Marin Draganja and Tereza Mrdeza are both Smrikva Bowl winners and they both played the under 18 European Junior Championships 2008 that was played in Badhofgastein in Austria.

Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #44 on ITF ranking list. He played in the finals of the last year Avenire in Milan, one of the most important under 16 tennis tournaments in the World.

Tereza Mrdeza, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, is currently ranked #692 on WTA list.

Marin Draganja and Tereza Mrdeza results on the under 18 European Junior Championships 2008 were the following:

Marin Draganja
1st round: Marin DRAGANJA- Bye
2nd round: M. DRAGANJA – Tadas TARASEVICIUS (LTU) 7:5, 7:5
3rd round: Marin DRAGANJA – Patrik BRYDOLF (SWE) 6:4, 6:4
4th round: Marin DRAGANJA – David GOFFIN (BEL) 3:6, 3:6

Tereza Mrdeza
1st round: Tereza MRDEZA – Magdalena OSTERLE (AUT) 7.6, 6:2
2nd round: T.MRDEZA-Anastasia GRYMALSKA (ITA) 5:7, 7:5, 6:1
3rd round: T.MRDEZAA – Bojana JOVANOVSKI (SRB) 1:6, 6:2, 3:6

24/07/08

Petra Martic - 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner - reached the quarterfinals of USD 145.000 tournament in Portoroz - Banka Koper Slovenia Open after winning Zagreb Ladies Open a week before

Petra Martic played very well in a tournament in Slovenia where 19 players ranked in the TOP 100 were playing.

Petra Martic reached the quarterfinals and the players she defeated in first two rounds are both very well ranked that again show the increadible Petra’s talent.

In the first round Petra Martic defeated Angelique Kerber with result 7:5, 6:2. Angelique Kerber is from Germany and is ranked #135 on WTA list.

In the second round Petra Martic defeated Klara Zakopalova from the Czech Republic with result 6:3, 4:6, 7:6. Klara Zakopalova is ranked #51 on WTA list.

In the quarterfinals Petra Martic played with Julia Goerges from Germany (ranked #98 on WTA list). Julia Goerges is 19 years old player that defeated Katerina Srebotnik from Slovenia (ranked #24 on WTA list).

Petra Martic lost the match in 3 sets against Julia Goerges with the score 6:3, 4:6, 6:4.

Last week Petra Martic won the finals of USD 100.000 Zagreb Ladies Open. This was one of Petra’s best results in her carrier that make her jump on WTA list from ranking #371 to ranking #236. The quartefinals in Portoroz will give Petra additional 30 WTA points and with this result she will be ranked in the TOP 200 in the World.

Petra Martic is already the best ranked Smrikva Bowl player in the World. She is 17 years old and is for sure the potential the TOP 100 WTA player.

Congratulations Petra!

20/07/08

Ivan Levar reached the quarterfinals at the European under 14 tournament in Leeuwarden (NED) - Windmill Cup Junior Tour

Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #15 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and this week he played and reached the quarterfinals at the European under 14 tournament in Leeuwarden (NED) – Windmill Cup Junior Tour.

The road towards the quarterfinals was the following:
1st round: Ivan LEVAR – Raphael ZEITONG (FRA) 6:0, 6:3
2nd round: Ivan LEVAR – Juan GALARZA (ARG) 6:1, 6:4
3rd round: Ivan LEVAR – Digvijay SINGH (IND) 6:4, 6:2
Quarterfinals: Ivan LEVAR – Luke SAVIELLE (AUS) 3:6, 3:6

13/07/08

Petra Martic - 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner - won the USD 100.000 Zagreb Ladies Open

Petra Martic won the finals of USD 100.000 Zagreb Ladies Open. This is one of Petra’s best results in her carrier. Petra Martic is from Croatia and is one of the most talented players in her age group.

The road towards the victory was the following:
1st round: Petra MARTIC – Alexandra PANOVA (RUS) 6:4, 6:4
2nd round: Petra MARTIC – Kirsten FLIPKENS (BEL) 7:5, 6:2
Quarterfinals: MARTIC – Anastasia PIVOVAROVA (RUS) 6:3, 6:2
Semifinals: Petra MARTIC – Ana JOVANOVIC (SRB) 7:5, 6:2
Finals: Petra MARTIC – Yvonne MEUSBURGER (AUT) 6:2, 2:6, 6:2.

Petra Martic is currently ranked #371 on WTA and the defeated players were ranked as follows:

Alexandra PANOVA (RUS) – #233 WTA list
Kirsten FLIPKENS (BEL) – # 145 WTA list
Anastasia PIVOVAROVA (RUS) – #178 WTA list
Ana JOVANOVIC (SRB) – #272 WTA list
Yvonne MEUSBURGER (AUT) – # 101 WTA list.

Croatian TV broadcasted the finals and this was the first time for me to see Petra Martic after the Smrikva Bowl finals in 2001.

When Petra was a child she already had the perfect shots tecnique. There were similar to the shots she has today. With todays victory Petra Martic got 65 new WTA points and will jump on WTA list for many places.

From Monday Petra will be the best ranked Smrikva Bowl player in the World.

Petra Martic is 17 years old and is for sure the potential the TOP 100 WTA player. I do believe even more but she needs to work on her foot.

She needs to move more on the court and fight for every ball to beat the top 20 players. With focused training she can do that. With the foots movement she’s perfect shots could bring her and to her funs a lot of satisfaction in the future.

Hopefully today’s victory could be the openning of Petra’s professional tennis carrier.

Congratulations Petra!!!

11/07/08

Justin Lee and Ingrid Neel - 7th "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players - won the OUATT Kids Cup World Final in Paris - under 10 age group

Justin Lee, Ingrid Neel and Paulina Ferrari were part of the “Little Mo” team that played traditional 7th annual “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl on Sunday, 29th of June 2008 in Smrikve.

Few days after the “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl competition they were competing in the OUATT Kids Cup World Final in Paris that was played at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy.

I am so glad that both Justin Lee and Ingrid Neel won the finals while Paulina Ferrari reached the semi finals. In doubles Ingrid and Paulina played the finals against Romanian players that played Smrikva Bowl. The results obtained by Justin, Ingrid and Paulina confirm the quality of their game.

The organiser of the OUATT Kids Cup Philippe Sautet e-mailed me that the final between Ingrid Neel and Maia Lumsden was bautiful and I was very glad to hear that because Maia also played “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl competition. During “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl competition Maia Lumsden won both matches and contributed to the victory of the Smrikva Bowl team. On the other side Justin Lee won both matches for the “Little Mo” team.

The Smrikva Bowl team defeated the “Little Mo” team 9:8 by counting the sets won because the overall result was 4:4. Overall Smrikva Bowl team leads 7:0 and this year competition was the most equal one that is also confirmed by Justin’s, Paulina’s and Ingrid’s success in Paris.

Justin Lee, William Blumberg, Ingrid Neel and Paulina Ferrari have been selected by the MCB Tennis Foundation to represent the United States in the 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl.

For the Smrikva Bowl team the players were selected among the finalist of the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008. Luka Panic (Sui), Mihnea Turcu (Rom), Katarina Jokic (BiH), Maia Lumsden (Sco) represented Smrikva Bowl team on 7th “Little Mo”/ Smrikva Bowl.

7. “Little Mo”/SMRIKVA BOWL RESULTS

«Little Mo»SMRIKVA BOWL

Ingrid Neel (USA) – Katarina Jokic (BiH) (6:3 6:4)
Paulina Ferrari (USA) – Maia Lumsden (Sco)(1:6 0:6)

Justin Lee (USA) – Luka Panic (Sui) (6:4 6:0)
William Blumberg (USA)– Mihnea Turcu (Rom) (3:6 6:3 12:10)

Ingrid Neel (USA) – Maia Lumsden (Sco) (3:6 5:7)
Paulina Ferrari (USA) – Katarina Jokic (BiH)(2:6 0:6)

Justin Lee (USA) – Mihnea Turcu (Rom) (6:1 6:0)
William Blumberg (USA) – Luka Panic (Sui)(1:6 3:6)

FINAL RESULTS (matches count) 4 – 4
FINAL RESULTS (set count) 8 – 9

In end compliments again to Justin Lee, Paulina Ferrari, Ingrid Neel and to Maia Lumsden.

Maia has a beautiful forhend, Paulina jumps to hit every ball, while Ingrid has a very fast and attack style of game. Justin is a complete player with very good tecnique and he also likes doubles :).

Thanks to Justin’s request we decided to introduce the exhibition doubles in the “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl competition. Jose Gracia’s expressed that desire few years ago and from this year the exhibition double will become traditional. It is mostly a merit of Justin Lee and Jose Gracia.

Your results on the Smrikva Bowl, “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl and on OUATT Kids Cup confirms the World quality of your game in your age group.

Simply congratulations to Justin, Ingrid, Paulina and Maia!