News

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!

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.

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.

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Fotogalerija – Smrikva Bowl

Photos of the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 players

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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!

11/07/08

Rémy BERTOLA al 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008

Rémy BERTOLA is from Switzerland from the Ticino area and an article has been published by Associazione Regionale Tennis Ticino about his participation on the Smrikva Bowl that I am pleased to publish on our website.

If you are interested to visit Rémy BERTOLA’s website please visit www.remybertola.ch .

Rémy BERTOLA al 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008
Tra i più importanti tornei internazionali under 10 del mondo

Dal 25 al 29 giugno si è svolto a Pula, in Croazia la 13ima edizione dello Smrikva Bowl, forse il più importante torneo internazionale per ragazzi under 10 al mondo.

Quest’anno ben 25 nazioni, provenienti dai 5 continenti (tra cui Australia, Porto Rico, Spagna, Francia, Inghilterra, ecc…) hanno risposto presente con i loro migliori giocatori in campo.

Tra loro anche due Svizzeri, di cui uno ticinese, Rémy Bertola, che si presentava per la prima volta in un torneo di tale livello.

Dopo una cerimonia di apertura degna dei grandi tornei ATP (100 tra ragazzi e ragazze), il torneo si è svolto su quattro giorni, sotto un sole cocente e con 36 gradi all’ombra. Gli incontri si sono rivelati di una intensità e di un livello davvero eccezionali, sia per i ragazzi che per le ragazze.

Rémy Bertola è riuscito a superare il primo ostacolo croato, per 9 a 2 (si gioca al meglio dei 9 games), ma non riuscirà a superare il suo secondo avversario, l’italiano Andrea Guerrieri, che poi arriverà in semifinale.

Il torneo è stato vinto da Luka Panic (classe 1998, R5) il quale si allena presso una Swiss Tennis Partner Academy in Svizzera interna e che senza dubbio è un valore montante del tennis Svizzero.

Un’esperienza sportiva e umana senz’altro da consigliare ai nostri giovani campioni in un ambiente accogliente e caloroso, all’immagine del direttore del torneo Miodrag Bozovic.

Anche se non è riuscito ad andare fino in fondo, complimenti a Rémy, che senz’altro non ha demeritato per coraggio e determinazione.

Altre informazioni su www.smrikve.com/smrikva-bowl

Ace

09/07/08

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 Video is now on line on www.smrikve.com

The idea of this year Smrikva Bowl video was to show some of the most important Smrikva Bowl moments by separating the parts of the movie with the short messages. I hope you will enjoy the video and given the fact the resolution is not so high you will find the main messages here below that you find also in the video.

Part I – Introduction

Smrikva Bowl is played in Smrikve nearby Pula in Istria since 1996… over the years it has grown in one of the most important under 10 tennis tournaments in the World… it is a children’s tennis festival that in its history has gathered top players from over 30 countries and 5 continents…

Players travel over 16000 kilometres to take part to this festival… Smrikva Bowl is more than tennis… since the beginning its vision was to promote values that pass all frontiers…

Culture, sport, children and music goes beyond all frontiers and are part of the Cosmopolitan world…

Wellcome to the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008!

Part II – Smrikva Bowl Ambassador Nomination Cerimony

Several years ago every Smrikva Bowl player started to become the Ambassador of the tournament… there are many players coming from places that are far away from Smrikve… and it is their word, as a Smrikva Bowl Ambassador, that help us to continue to attract each year the new talented players emerging in the World today and help us to spread the word about Smrikva…

“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.” – Nelson Mandela

Part III – Centuries Old Olive Tree planting as part of the Smrikva Bowl Ambassador Nomination Cerimony

Planting of an century old olive tree is also a part of the Smrikva Bowl Ambassador’s nomination cerimony… it is a special moment for the children and for us…

Olive tree is a symbol of peace and its age is the symbol of intergenerational responsibility…

Every person is born without knowning anything about life on this earth and it is the responsibility of every generation to understand and to learn to preserve and respect all that each of us is born with… intergenerational responsibility alone will allow future generations to enjoy the beauty of life, the sunsets and the seasons of the earth…

Part IV – 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl team presentation

In 2002, the Smrikve Tennis Club and the Maureen Connolly Brinker tennis foundation joined forces with aim to create the first ever international competition between the United States and Europe for boys and girls under 10… the event was named “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl and the realisation of this idea united the names of two of the most prestigous under 10 tournaments…

Smrikva Bowl is today a global tournament and “Little Mo” has also grown into an international tournament but the “Little Mo” National Champions continue to meet with the best Smrikva Bowl players comming from all over the world and the event has arrived to its 7th annual…

A wise persone once wrote: “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…”

Part V – 13th Smrikva Bowl finals and thanks to the Smrikva Bowl Sponsors, Staff and Honorary Members

The finals are the special moment… it is the first time for the most Smrikva Bowl players to play with the ball boys and hopefully not only the winners will have good memories about one of their first international tournaments…

Thanks to all the major sponsors for their gifts for the children…

to Ronzio Oleodinamica for the t-shirts, hats and all the support since the foundation of the tournament… to Claudio Montanelli for the brochures… to Luca Appino for the special support… to Patrick Mouratoglou for the 7 days stage in his prestigious Academy in Paris… to Wilson for the contract for the winners, tournament balls and other gifts… to Ana Ivanovic for the signed t-shirts for the finalists… to Royal Boats for the mountain bikes… to Svijet biljaka for the Istrian Lavander products…

to Shake and SM Design for the gifts that were given to each players… to Agrofarmacija for arranging the central court with flowers… to Duravit, Puljanka, Restoran Oaza, IZO and other sponsors that allowed the preparation of more than 2000 sandwiches and 3000 liters of soft drinks that were offered to the children… thanks to the towns of Pula and Vodnjan and also to the Pula’s tourism office for their support… to Zdravec, Vedran Catela, Gordana Petersic, Vlado Bzik and all the other sponsors…

In end a special thanks is due to every single person that is part of the Smrikva Bowl staff, to the Smrikve Tennis Club players and in particular to the Smrikve Tennis Club President Vlado Juricic… to every Honorary Smrikva Bowl Member and their families… to the people from Smrikve and to my family…

Miodrag Bozovic

Enjoy the video and this year 13th Smrikva Bowl Champions and 8th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl Champions: Luka Panic, Katarina Jokic, Mihnea Turcu, Maia Lumsden, Ingrid Neel, William Blumberg, Paolina Ferrari, Justin Lee, Luka Spelic, Antonio Capasso, Patrik Rikl, Letizia Gussetti, Estela Perez Somarriba, Paola Maza, Mattia Bedolo, Filippo Mora, Jame Schelmit, Borna Cilic Kraljevic, Popyrin Brothers, Alessandro Visentini, Viktoria Kuzmova, Nina Marijanovic, Ivona Radanovic and several other players.

08/07/08

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

1996 – 1st Smrikva Bowl
Vilim Visak, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #926 on ATP list. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006. Vilim Visak is currently ranked #415 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

1997 – 2nd Smrikva Bowl
Ivana Lisjak, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #330 on WTA list. Ivana’s best ranking was #95 in June 2006.

1999 – 4th Smrikva Bowl
Astrid Besser, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Italy, is ranked #432 on WTA list.

Deni Zmak, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #1835 on ATP list. Deni Zmak is currently ranked #1016 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl
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.

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

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl
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.
Marcan Dino, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #73 on ITF ranking list.

Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #371 on WTA list.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #634 on WTA list.

2002 – 7th Smrikva Bowl and 1st”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Javier Marti, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Spain, is ranked #892 on ITF ranking list.
Giaccomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, is ranked #53 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #1781 on ATP list. 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.

Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #975 on WTA ranking list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #40 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #1067 on WTA list.
Ema Burgic, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #1 in Europe in under 16 age group cathegory, #135 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #971 on WTA list.

Jordaan Sanford, played 1st “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #831 on ITF ranking list.

2003 – 8th Smrikva Bowl and 2nd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Dominic Thiem, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Austria, is ranked #103 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
George Morgan, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #597 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #161 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 #538 on ITF ranking list and and is ranked #10 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #214 on ITF ranking list.
Silvia Njiric, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #68 on ITF ranking list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Croatia, is ranked #40 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #1067 on WTA list.

Emmett Egger, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #45 in the USA in under 16 cathegory and is ranked #631 on ITF ranking list.
Robert Stineman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #255 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Karen Forman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #325 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Katie Klyczek, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #396 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

2004 – 9th Smrikva Bowl and 3rd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #15 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Miki Jankovic, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #6 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

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 #105 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

Mitchel Polnet, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #147 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Rayan Andrada, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #914 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Blair Shankle, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #5 in the USA in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #1140 on ITF ranking list.
Anna Mamalat, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #28 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

2005 – 10th Smrikva Bowl and 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Matteo Donati, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Italy, is ranked #38 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 #89 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gianluigi Quinzi, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #30 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 #62 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

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 #103 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

Jeffrey Schorsch, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #322 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Jose Gracia, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #291 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Yale Goldberg, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #93 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Dorothy Tang, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #139 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

2006 – 11th Smrikva Bowl and 5th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
Gianluigi Quinzi, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #30 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.

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 #275 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

Daniel Maese, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #85 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Aries Wong, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #35 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Christina Makarova, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #10 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Gabriella Umoquit, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #204 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

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

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 and is ranked #5 in Croatia in under 12 cathegory. 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.

Eduardo Nava, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #50 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Tommy Paul, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #89 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Ndindi Ndunda, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #124 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Domonique Garley, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #427 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

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

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.

Justine Lee, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #278 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 #40 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 #987 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

03/07/08

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 photos are on line in the Smrikva Bowl Photo Gallery

In the new photo gallery under Smrikva Bowl section you can find some photos of the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 players.

There are photos of Luka Panic, Katarina Jokic, Mihnea Turcu, Maia Lumsden, Ingrid Neel, William Blumberg, Paolina Ferrari, Justin Lee, Luka Spelic, Antonio Capasso, Patrik Rikl, Letizia Gussetti, Estela Perez Somarriba, Paola Maza, Mattia Bedolo, Filippo Mora, Jame Schelmit, Borna Cilic Kraljevic, Popyrin Brothers, Alessandro Visentini, Viktoria Kuzmova, Nina Marijanovic, Ivona Radanovic and several other players.

29/06/08

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 Press Release

PULA, CROATIA 25 th JUNE – 29 th JUNE 2008

13th Smrikva Bowl – tennis tournament for boys and girls under 10 – gathered over 100 boys and girls from 24 countries and 5 continents. It was another successful annual.

The proof of the Smrikva Bowl importance is given by the names of the winners:
• Vilim Visak (Cro) Natali Zuliani (Cro) 1996
• Željko Perić (Cro)Ivana Lisjak (Cro) 1997
• Filip Kovačić (Cro) Mateja Horvat (Cro) 1998
• Borko Mudronja (Cro) Astrid Besser (I) 1999
• Adelchi Virgili (I) Tereza Mrdeža (Cro) 2000
• Marin Draganja (Cro) Petra Martić (Cro) 2001
• Javier Marti (ESP) Martina Caregaro (I) 2002
• Dominic Thiem (A) Jennifer Ren (UK) 2003
• Ivan Levar (Cro)S. Gavrilovska (SRB)2004
• Matteo Donati (I)S. Gavrilovska (SRB)2005
• Gianluigi Quinzi (I)Eleonor Dean (UK)2006
• Sacha Merzetti (I)Virgina Pena (ESP)2007
• Luka Panic (SUI)Katarina Jokic (BiH)2008

Luka Panic won boys finals and Katarina Jokic the girls finals. The winners won mountain bikes sponsored by Royal Boats, 7 week stage at Patrick Mouratoglou Academy in Paris and Wilson’s sponsorship contract.

On 29th of June 2008, the selected Smrikva Bowl players – Luka Panic (Sui), Mihnea (Rom), Katarina Jokic (BiH), Maia Lumsden (Sco) – played the 7th «Little Mo» / Smrikva Bowl in Smrikve Tennis Club in Pula, Croatia. Justin Lee, William Blumberg, Ingrid Neel and Paulina Ferrari have been selected by MCB foundation to represent the United States.

Smrikva Bowl team won the 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl by counting the difference in sets with the result of 9:8. The result counting matches won was equal – 4:4.

The Smrikve Tennis Club and the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation have created «Little Mo» / Smrikva Bowl, the first-ever international competition between the United States and Europe for boys and girls 10 & under. Today Smrikva Bowl gathers top players from all around the World.

13th SMRIKVA BOWL RESULTS

Boys:
Finals:
Luka Panic (Sui) – Mihnea Turcu (Rom) (6:3 1:6 6:2);

Semifinals:
Luka Panic (Sui) – Grega Kokalj (Slo) (9 : 5);
Mihnea Turcu (Rom) – Andrea Guerrieri (I) (9 : 2);

Quarterfinals:
Luka Panic (Sui) – Karlo Boljat (Cro) (9 : 6);
Grega Kokalj (Slo) – Matija Selak (Cro) (9 : 2);
Mihnea Turcu (Rom) – Charles Broom (Eng) (9 : 4);
Andrea Guerrieri (I) – Alexei Popyrin (Aus) (9 : 4).

Girls:
Finals:
Katarina Jokic (BiH) – Maia Lumsden (Sco) (6 : 2 6 : 0);

Semifinals:
Katarina Jokic (BiH) – Estela Perez Somarriba (Esp) (9 : 1);
Maia Lumsden (Sco) – Viktoria Kuzmova (Slk) (9 : 4);

Quarterfinals:
Katarina Jokic (BiH) – Marija Curnic (Cro) (9 : 2);
Estela Perez Somarriba (Esp)– Iulia Maria Ivascu (Rom) (9:3); Maia Lumsden (Sco) – Petra Granic (Cro) (9 : 4);
Viktoria Kuzmova (Svk) – Ena Delibegovic (BiH) (9 : 6).

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

Special thanks to: Smrikva Bowl Sponsors, Smrikva Bowl Staff and to the Honorary Smrikva Bowl Members!

28/06/08

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 Main Draw Winners

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winners are Luka Panic from Switzerland and Katerina Jokic from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM the Smrikva Bowl team will play the 7th annual with “Little Mo” team, 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl.

The press release and the all draws will be available on line at the beginning of the next week.

27/06/08

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 Main Draw Finalists

The boys that qualified for the finals are: Luka Panic from Switzerland and Mihunea Turcu from Romania. On the other side the girls that qualified for the finals are: Katerina Jokic from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Maia Lumsden from Scotland.

Tomorrow morning at 9:00 PM the girls finals will start and will be followed by the boys finals.

27/06/08

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 Main Draw Boys Semifinalists

The boys that qualified for the semifinals are:

Luka Panic(Switzerland)
Grega Kokalj (Slovenia)

Mihunea Turcu (Romania)
Andrea Guerrieri (Italia)

At 4:30 PM the Girls semifinals will be played and followed by the boys semifinals.

At 6:00 PM Smrikva Bowl team and the “Little Mo” team will be presented.

27/06/08

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 Main Draw Girls Semifinalists

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 continues today with beautiful matches and the girls semifinalists are already known.

The girls that will play this afternoon at 4:30 PM the semifinals are:

Katerina Jokic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Estela Perez Somarriba (Spain)

Maia Lumsden (Scotland)
Viktoria Kuzmova (Slovakia)

Right now are on the courts the boys and soon we will know the boys semifinalists. This evening we will also have the finalists and this year Smrikva Bowl team that will play on Sunday the 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl.

At 6:00 PM Smrikva Bowl team and the “Little Mo” team will be presented.

26/06/08

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 Main Draw Boys Quarterfinalists

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 continues today with beautiful matches and the boys quarterfinalists are already known.

Before the tournament started it was known that the quality was expected to be good in the boys section but you can not understand the level till you do not see the players. Uptoday the shown level is of outstanding quality.

The boys that qulified to the quarterfinals are:

Karlo Boljat (Croatia)
Luka Panic(Switzerland)

Grega Kokalj (Slovenia)
Matija Selak (Croatia)

Charles Broom (England)
Mihunea Turcu (Romania)

Andrea Guerrieri (Italia)
Alexei Popyrin (Australia)

At 6:00 PM all the Smrikva Bowl players will be nominated the Ambassadors and the centuries old Olive Tree will be planted.

Tomorrow the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Main Draw will be played and we expect to enjoy in Smrikve many beautiful matches.