News

10/11/07

11 years old Gianluigi Quinzi arrived in the semifinals of an under 16 tournament

Gianluigi Quinzi continues to surprise with his performance. During an under 16 Thanksgiving Junior Championship that was played from 3-9th November he was able to reach semifinals.

In the first round Gianluigi was free and in the second round Gianluigi Quinzi defeated William Chen with 6:1, 6:0. In the quarterfinals Gianluigi won against Arsav Mohanty by 6:0, 6:1. In the semi finals he lost in the third set against Zachary Krumholz by 6:2, 1:6, 6:2. It is hard to determine the quality of this other older players but Gianluigi’s obtained result is outstanding.

Gianluigi Quinzi is from Italy and he won the 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 and ranked third on the 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005. Gianluigi is among top players in the World in his age group. Currently he is ranked #25 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. Being Gianluigi only 11 years old, in this age group, Gianluigi’s results are the best resutls in Tennis Europe’s history. Gianluigi Quinzi trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida and it will be interesting to see how will he do with the top players under 12 in the World on Eddie Herr International and Orange Bowl that will be played soon.

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.

10/11/07

Istria from Smrikve will be soon on www.smrikve.com

Istria from Smrikve will be an overview over the Istrian territory, mainly of its towns and villages and will be an integral part of the www.smrikve.com. The smrikve.com visitors will have the opportunity to virtually visit and learn a part of the Istrian culture.

Istria from Smrikve will contain over 200 pages description of almost 90 places, natural beuties, little charming towns and villages. There will be also a photo gallery of about 1500 pictures showing most of the described buildings and natural beauties. Every town, monument, natural beauty or village that will be presented is located in a maximum range of 100 kilometres from Smrikve and the most distant location can be reached in about one hour drive from Smrikve.

Most of the towns and described villages have been inhabitated from the prehistoric times, so most of them are 3000-4000 years old. This create a huge and particular Istrian cultural heritage and make Istria a very specific and interesting touristic destination.

The visitors of smrikve.com are from all continents and also Smrikva Bowl players are from almost all continents. Istria from Smrikve pages will aim to attract clients for Villa Smrikve and future Smrikve Village that are interested in spending their holidays in Istria and are interested in Istria’s tradition and culture. All former and future Smrikva Bowl players are always wellcome in Smrikve.

The whole work: study and preparation of towns and villages visits’, taking pictures and visiting locations, writing the text, and the preparation and design of the pages will require over 7 months of work. Once everything is ready, I hope you will enjoy the Istria from Smrikve pages and will decide to visit Smrikve and Istria.

06/11/07

Ana Ivanovic is giving two signed t-shirts to the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 girls finalists

Ana Ivanovic is today one of the best tennis players in the World and her funs are spread all over the World. She is a tennis superstar and I am very pleased that Ana decided to sign two t-shirts for the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 finalists. I am sure that girls will love Ana’s gift and I am also sure that this gift will inspire tham to do better and better in tennis. I am also pleased to nominate Ana: Honorary Smrikva Bowl Member.

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

With the signed t-shirts Ana showed that she loves children and this way she also helps Smirkva Bowl development “in some small way”.

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

Today Ana celebrate 20 years so Happy Birthday Ana from both former and future Smrikva Bowl players! :)

04/11/07

Giacomo Miccini played his third Future Tournament in Mexico

Giacomo Miccini won the first round qualifications against Ricardo Osuna, from Mexico, 6:0, 6:1.

In the second round Giacomo Miccini lost against Austin Krajicek from the USA 6:4, 6:1. Austin Krajicek is born in 1990 and is currently ranked 1049 on ATP ranking list.

Giaccomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, is currently ranked #92 on ITF ranking list. Giacomo Miccini trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and is one of the best players in the World in his age group (1992).

02/11/07

Smrikva Bowl on Women's Tennis Blog - www.womenstennisblog.com

Marija Zivlak is the editor of Women’s Tennis Blog and she writes about women’s professional tennis players. Maria is also Honorary Smrikva Bowl Member and I was very pleased when she decided to write an article about Smrikva Bowl players. Marija’s idea was to write about future tennis stars and she asked me to pick up few players among Smrikva Bowl girls that have a potential to make it big when they grow up.

It was very hard to pick up only few among the girls that I think can make it. There are: Astrid Besser (Italy, 1989), Tereza Mrdeza (Croatia, 1990), Petra Martic (Croatia, 1991), Indire Akiki (Croatia, 1991), Martina Caregaro (Italy, 1992), Ema Burgic (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1992), Ajla Tomljanovic (Croatia, 1993) Jennifer Ren (UK, 1993), Silvia Njiric (Croatia, 1993), Ecaterina Opriou (Romenia, 1994), Blair Shankle (SAD, 1994), Saska Gavrilovska (Serbia, 1995), Olga Yanchuk (Ukraina, 1995), Eleonor Dean (UK, 1996), Dina Paocic (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1996), Virginia Pena (Spain, 1997), Ana Konjuh (Croatia, 1997), Nina Potocnik (Slovenia, 1997), Katie Dayson (UK, 1997)... All this girls had great results on the Smrikva Bowl and continue to be very good players but I had to pick up only four girls among them… you will find in the article the names of the four chosen girls (in the original Marija’s article there are also the photos of the girls)...

Smrikva Bowl founder on tennis star of the future
by Marija Zivlak

I have been in contact with Miodrag Bozovic, a very committed founder and organizer of a tennis tournament for kids called Smrikva Bowl, so I decided to spread the word about this tournament and also present some possible tennis stars of the future.

Smrikva Bowl is a tournament for kids under 10 years old, located near the city of Pula, in Croatia. It was founded in 1996 and over time, it has become one of the most important tournaments of the kind.

What impressed me the most about this tournament was that it survives on a limitless enthusiasm of its founder as well as on a large number of volunteers and friends who have recognized the beauty of the tournament. In 2007 kids from as much as four continents came to Croatia to take part in the event.

I thought that my readers would be interested in which youngsters have a potential to make it big when they grow up, but Miodrag Bozovic was reluctant to answer my question, with a solid reason: according to the statistics of his friend Luca Appino, a former marketing director of high-end tennis racquet manufacturer Babolat, only six per cent of the best juniors (from 16-year-olds onwards) reach the Top 100 when they become professional players. This means that chances of a promising 10-year-old of making it to the top are slim to none.

However, Miodrag hasn’t lost hope and there are many young players that he strongly believes in. For me, he singled out four promising girls.

Saska Gavrilovska from Serbia, born in 1995, won the Smrikva Bowl in 2004 and 2005. After winning the Smrikva Bowl, she found a sponsor from New York who helped her to start training in Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. Gavrilovska now predominantly plays tournaments in the USA, and when she was only 11 years old she reached the quarterfinals of the 2006 Orange Bowl.

Virginia Pena is another talented child. And what is more, she comes from Mallorca, a homeplace of both former world No.1 Carlos Moya and current world No.2 Rafael Nadal. Pena was born in 1997 and she was the Smrikva Bowl champion in 2007, while in 2006 she took the third place. This makes Virginia Pena the second best player at the Smrikva Bowl after Serbia’s Saska Gavrilovska.

The 16-year-old Petra Martic from Croatia is another female player the organizer of the Smrikva Bowl highly believes in. She won the event in 2001, and today, she is ranked 340th in the world after having competed in eight tournaments. Miodrag Bozovic believes that she has enough talent to crack the Top 100 in the near future. In the photo you can see Petra with the first prize – a bicycle.

And last but not least is the 2002 Smrikva Bowl finalist Ajla Tomljanovic born in 1993 in Croatia. Former world No.16 Goran Prpic said that he expects her to play at Roland Garros in two years time. The girl is from a celebrated sporting family, her father Ratko Tomljanovic was the captain of the Croatian national handball team when they won the Olympic gold in Atlanta. In the summer of 2007, Ajla moved to the States where she’s working on her tennis career.

I hope that some of these four girls will make it big, and that I will be able to say: “Oh, I was among the first ones to write about them, I heard of them when they were still kids”.

31/10/07

12 Smrikva Bowl 2007 on www.collegeandjuniortennis.com

Marcia Frost is the editor of the www.collegeandjuniortennis.com and is an Old Smrikva Bowl friend. For years she has been the Honorary Smrikva Bowl Member and she started to write about Smrikva Bowl in 2001. In 2002 she introduced me to her friend Carol Weyman, the Executive Vice President of MCB Tennis Foundation, that organize “Little Mo” tournament, and thanks to this contact, me and Carol have created “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl. Last year Marcia came to Smrikve for the 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl annual and she did a very nice live coverage of the event. You can read this year article on the internet page:

http://www.collegeandjuniortennis.com/SmrikvaBowl07.htm

and here is the story:

12th SMRIKVA BOWL
Tennis Club Smrikve – Pula, Croatia – June 20-24, 2007

I didn’t make it to Croatia this year, but my friend – Tournament Director Miodrag Bozovic – send this report on his wonderful event. Marcia Frost

The 12th Smrikva Bowl tennis tournament for boys and girls under 10 gathered around 90 boys and girls from 16 countries and 4 continents. It was another successful year as the girl who finished 3rd at the 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006, Viriginia Pena, was the winner of this year. Virginia won against Croatian Ana Konjuh, also a very good player. The boys were also good players. The finalists were Sasha Merzetti from Italy and Bogdan Borza from Romenia. It was a beautiful final match. All of the winners received mountain bikes and the runners up got Head rackets

On 24th of June 2007, the selected Smrikva Bowl players—Sasha Merzetti (I), Bogdan Borza (Rom), Virginia Pena (Esp), Ana Konjuh (Cro)—played the 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl in the Smrikve Tennis Club in Pula, Croatia. Eduardo Nava, Tommy Paul, Ndindi Ndunda and Domonique Garley were selected by the Maureen Connolly Brinker foundation to represent the United States. The Smrikva Bowl team won 7-1. The Smrikve Tennis Club and the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation 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.

12th SMRIKVA BOWL RESULTS
Boys
Finals-Sasha Merzetti (I) defeated Bogdan Borza (Rom), 6-1,6-3
Girls
Finals-Virginia Pena (Esp) defeated Ana Konjuh (Cro), 6-2,6-1

6th “Little Mo”/SMRIKVA BOWL RESULTS
Virgina Pena (Esp) defeated Ndindi Ndunda (USA), 6-0,6-1
Ana Konjuh (Cro) defeated Dominique Garley (USA), 6-2,6-0
Sasha Merzetti (I) defeated Eduardo Nava (USA), 6-3,3-6,10-8
Bogdan Borza (Rom) defeated Tommy Paul (USA), 6-4,7-5
Ana Konjuh (Cro) defeated Ndindi Ndunda (USA), 6-1,6-1
Virginia Pena (Esp) defeated Dominique Garley (USA), 6-3,6-0
Eduardo Nava (USA) defeated Bogdan Borza (Rom), 6-7,6-1,10:5
Sasha Merzetti (I) defeated Tommy Paul (USA), 6-4,6-0
FINAL RESULT 7–1

Please visit the Smrikva Bowl for information about the 2008 event and Maureen Connolly Brinker for more details on their other competitions.

29/10/07

Some Smrikva Bowl players that will play Eddie Herr International and Junior Orange Bowl

EDDIE HERR INTERNATIONAL
Eddie Herr International is one of the most important Junior Tennis Championships in the World that are played at IMG/Nick Bollettieri Academies in Bradenton, Florida in the USA.

The Qualifying Draw (under 14’s, 16’s, 18’s) will be played from November 23rd till November 25th, 2007 and the Main Draw (under 14’s, 16’s, 18’s) will take place from November 26th – till December 2nd, 2007. 12 & Under cathegory will be played from November 24th till November 30th, 2007.

Some Smrikva Bowl and “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl players that are registered for the Eddie Herr International are:

Boys under 12
Harry Busby is from UK and he ranked 4th on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005. In 2007, Harry Busby won Ouatt Kids Cup World Wide under 11 cathegory.
Jose Gracia is from Florida and he played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2005.
Luka Ilic is from Serbia and he also played Smrikva Bowl.
Gianluigi Quinzi is 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner and is from Italy. He is ranked #144 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. Gianluigi is only 11 years old and in this age group Gianluigi’s results are the best resutls in Tennis Europe’s history. Gianluigi Quinzi trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. It will be interesting to see how he compete with the top players under 12 in the World.
Dylan Bednarczyk played 12th Smrikva Bowl. Dylan is from Canada and is born in 1998 and is eligible to play 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 and could be one of the best players in his age group in the World but it will not be easy to competes with two years older players.

Girls under 12
Saska Gavrilovska is 9th and 10th Smrikva Bowl 2004 and 2005 winner, from Serbia. In December 2006, Saska reached the quarterfinals of under 12 Junior Orange Bowl being 11 years old. It will be interesting to see how she competes this year being 12 years old.
Olga Ianchuk, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Ukraine, is ranked #89 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. She could also do well.
Vladica Babic is from Montenegro and she played Smrikva Bowl.
Donna Vekic is from Croatia and she played Smrikva Bowl.
Ana Konjuh, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #16 in Croatia in under 12 cathegory. Ana is still very young but this will be an interesting experience.
Katie Dyson ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007. She is from UK. Katie is still very young but this will be an interesting experience.
Olga Fridman is from Ukraina and she played 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007.

Boys under 14
Ciprian Alexandru Porumb, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, is ranked #1 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. It will be interesting to see how Ciprian will play. He could do well.

Girls under 16
Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #21 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Silvia Njiric, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #4 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #3 in under 16 cathegory in Croatia.

Boys under 18
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #142 on ITF ranking list and #14 in Europe in under 16 cathegory. Marin Draganja played in the finals of this year Avenire in Milan, one of the most important under 16 tennis tournaments in the World. It will be interesting to see how Marin will play.
Dino Marcan, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #194 on ITF ranking list and #119 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
Giacomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, is ranked #90 on ITF ranking list. In December 2006, Giacomo Miccini reached the semifinals of under 14 Junior Orange Bowl. Giacomo Miccini trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Giacomo will play at home. It will be interesting to see his results with few years older players.

Girls under 18
Ajla Tomljanovic was 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up and she ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003. Ajla is from Croatia and is ranked #344 on ITF ranking list. She is born in 1993 and is one of the top players in her age group in the World. In December 2006, Ajla Tomljanovic reached the quarterfinals of under 14 Junior Orange Bowl. Ajla this summer moved with her family to the USA. Goran Prpic recently said for her that in two years time he would like to see her competing on Senior Roland Garros. It will be interesting to see how Ajla will play.

Good luck to Harry, Jose, Luka, Gianluigi. Dylan, Saska, Olga, Vladica, Donna, Ana, Katie, Olga, Ciprian, Jennifer, Silvia, Marin, Dino, Giacomo and Ajla!

JUNIOR ORANGE BOWL
Junior Orange Bowl is one of the most important Junior International Tennis Championships. It is played in Florida in the USA. The Qualifying Draw under 12 and under 14 will be played from December 14th till December 16th, 2007 and the Main Draw will be played from December 17th till December 23rd, 2007.

Under 18 will play the Qualifacation Draw from December 1st till December 2nd, 2007 and the Main Draw will be played from December 3rd till December 9th, 2007. Under 16 will play the Qualification Draw from November 30th till December 2nd, 2007 and the Main Draw will be played from December 2nd till December 8th, 2007.

The Smrikva Bowl and “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl under 12 and under 14 players that are registered for the Junior Orange Bowl are:

Girls
Saska Gavrilovska, 9th and 10th Smrikva Bowl 2004 and 2005 winner, from Serbia.
Anna Mamalat from the USA. She played 3rd “Little Mo”/ Smrikva Bowl 2004.
Vladica Babic is from Montenegro and she played Smrikva Bowl.
Katie Dyson is from UK and she ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007.

Boys
Emmett A Egger is from the USA and he played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2003.
Mitchell J Polnet is from the USA and he played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2004.
Harry Busby ranked 4th on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 and he played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2005.
Jose E Gracia is from the USA and he played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2005.
Gianluigi Quinzi is 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner and he ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005. He also played 4th and 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2004 and 2005.
Daniel F. Maese is from the USA and he played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2006.
Tommy Paul is from the USA and he played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2007.

Good luck to Saska, Anna, Vladica, Katie, Emmett, Mitchell J., Harry, Jose E., Gianluigi, Daniel F. and Tommy.

There are over 2000 players that are registered for this two tournaments and I may missed someone but I will recognize all the Smrikva Bowl players and “Little Mo”/Smrivka Bowl players who reach an interesting result during the tournaments and I will post their results after the tournaments.

28/10/07

Giacomo Miccini played his second Future Tournament in Mexico

Giacomo Miccini lost in the first round qualifications against Tim Van Terheijden, from Netherlands, born in 1990, and currently ranked 165 on ITF list: 6:3, 3:6, 6:2.

Very soon Giacomo will collect his first ATP point. Good luck for the next tournament!

Giaccomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, is currently ranked #90 on ITF ranking list and today he played his second Future Tournament in Mexico. Giacomo Miccini trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and is one of the best players in the World in his age group (1992).

24/10/07

Ingrid Neel, Karina Vyrlan, Michal Kusznerko and Justin Lee are the under 9 "Little Mo" National Champions and Runners-up and from today they are confirmed by Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and are eligible to represent the USA - "Little Mo"

In 2002, 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. In the last few years Smrikva Bowl started to gather top players from all around the World but “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl continues to be a special event and has arrived to its 7th annual.

7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl will be played the day after the finals of the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 and will be played on June 29th, 2008 in the Smrikve Tennis Club in Pula, Croatia.

From October 20th till October 22nd 2007 the 10th “Little Mo” Nationals was played at the Austin Tennis Academy in Austin, Texas.

Carol Weyman, Executive Vice President of MCB Tennis Foundation, said that it was another wounderful year. The under 9’s National Champions and Runners-up of the 10th “Little Mo” Nationals that are eligible to represent the US team on the 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl are:
Girls:

#1 Ingrid Neel – Rochester, Minnnesota

#2 Karina Vyrlan – Antelope, California

Boys:

#1 Michal Kusznerko – Chicago, Illinois

#2 Justin Lee – Cos Cob, Connecticut

The players that participate in this unique competition are increasing year by year and many of them are among the best players in their age groups in their countries and in the World. Former “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl players include a long list and they are:

1st “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2002
Jordaan Sanford (USA), Morgan Basil (USA), Ajla Tomljanovic (Cro), Ema Burgic (BiH).

2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2003
Emmett Egger (USA), Robert Stineman (USA), Karen Forman (USA), Katie Klyczek (USA), Jennifer Ren (UK), Silvia Njiric (Cro), Dominic Thiem (A), George Morgan (UK)

3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2004
Mitchel Polnet (USA), Rayan Andrada (USA), Blair Shankle (USA), Anna Mamalat (USA), Ivan Levar (Cro), Miki Jankovic (Srb), Saska Gavrilovska (Srb), Ecaterina Opriou (Rum)

4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2005
Jeffrey Schorsch (USA), Jose Gracia (USA), Yale Goldberg (USA), Dorothy Tang (USA), Saska Gavrilovska (Srb), Olga Yanchuk (Ukr), Matteo Donati (I), Gyore Laszlo (Srb), Gianluigi Quinzi (I), Harry Busby (UK)

5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2006
Daniel Maese (USA), Aries Wong (USA), Christina Makarova (USA), Gabriella Umoquit (USA), Gianluigi Quinzi (I), Filip Kraljevic (Cro), Eleonor Dean (UK), Dina Paocic (BiH),

6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2007
Eduardo Nava (USA), Tommy Paul (USA), Ndindi Ndunda (USA), Domonique Garley (USA), Sacha Merzetti (I), Bogdan Borza (Rom), Virginia Pena (Esp), Ana Konjuh (Cro).

Congratulations once again to Ingrid Neel, Karina Vyrlan, Michal Kusznerko and Justin Lee I hope to see them in Pula at the end of June 2008!

23/10/07

Harry George Busby is now on line with his website http://harrybusby.com

Harry Busby is now on line and you can visit his website and follow his progress on http://harrybusby.com

Harry Busby arrived in the semifinals of the 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 and also played for the Smrikva Bowl team and contributed to the victory on 4th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl.

I was very pleased to see in Harry’s Photo Gallery some pictures from the Smrikva Bowl and from the “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl.

Wellcome on the web Harry and good luck for the tournaments!

23/10/07

Top Smrikva Bowl players on ATP, WTA, ITF and European under 14 and 16 ranking lists

Until 2001 Smrikva Bowl was limited to Croatia and some nearby countries. From 2002 Smrikva Bowl started to gather top players from Europe and in the recent years from all over the World.

1996 – 1st Smrikva Bowl
Vilim Visak, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #969 on ATP list. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006.

1997 – 2nd Smrikva Bowl
Ivana Lisjak, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #191 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 #520 on WTA list. Astid’s best ranking was #457 in August 2007.
Deni Zmak, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #1465 on ATP list.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl
Adelchi Virgili, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Italy. Adelchi is very talented player but he continues to be injured. He feels a strong pain in his back and this does not allow him to play tennis more than 45 minutes.
Tereza Mrdeza, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #746 on WTA list.

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #142 on ITF ranking list and #14 in Europe in under 16 cathegory. Marin Draganja played in the finals of this 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 #194 on ITF ranking list and #119 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #338 on WTA list. Petra Martic is probably one of the most talented players in her age group in the World. In the last few months Petra jumped for over 200 places on WTA list. This summer in an interview Goran Prpic said that she is promissing very well for the Croatian tennis.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked # 574 on WTA list.

2002 – 7th Smrikva Bowl
Javier Marti, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Spain, is ranked #6 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
Giaccomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, is ranked #90 on ITF ranking list. In December 2006, Giacomo Miccini reached the semifinals of under 14 Junior Orange Bowl. Giacomo Miccini trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. In these days Giacomo Miccini started to play Future Tournaments in Mexico and is very likely that soon he will collect first ATP points. Giacomo Miccini is probably the second best player in the World in his age group after Bernard Tomic.

Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #103 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
Ajla Tomljanovic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #344 on ITF ranking list. Ajla Tomljanovic is born in 1993 and is one of the top players in her age group in the World. In December 2006, Ajla Tomljanovic reached the quarterfinals of under 14 Junior Orange Bowl. Ajla this summer moved with her family to the USA. Goran Prpic recently said for her that in two years time he would like to see her competing on Senior Roland Garros.
Ema Burgic, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #2 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

2003 – 8th Smrikva Bowl
Dominic Thiem, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Austria, is ranked #65 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
George Morgan, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #13 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Ciprian Porumb, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, is ranked #1 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #21 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Silvia Njiric, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #4 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #3 in under 16 cathegory in Croatia.
Ajla Tomljanovic, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Croatia, is ranked #344 on ITF ranking list. Ajla Tomljanovic is born in 1993 and is one of the top players in her age group in the World. In December 2006, Ajla Tomljanovic reached the quarterfinals of under 14 Junior Orange Bowl. Ajla this summer moved with her family to the USA. Goran Prpic recently said for her that in two years time he would like to see her competing on Senior Roland Garros.

2004 – 9th Smrikva Bowl
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #86 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #2 in under 14 cathegory in Croatia. In December 2006, Ivan Levar reached the quarterfinals of under 12 Junior Orange Bowl.
Miki Jankovic, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #68 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

Saska Gavrilovska, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #799 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. Saska played most of the tournaments in the USA. In December 2006, Saska Gavrilovska reached the quarterfinals of under 12 Junior Orange Bowl being 11 years old.
Ecaterina Opriou, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Romenia, is ranked #166 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

2005 – 10th Smrikva Bowl
Matteo Donati, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Italy, is ranked #246 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gyore Laszlo, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #390 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gianluigi Quinzi, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #144 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #798 in under 16 cathegory. It is necessary to add that Gianluigi is only 11 years old and in this age group Gianluigi’s results are the best resutls in Tennis Europe’s history. With this ranking Gianluigi is the best ranked player in 1996 and 1995 age group although he is 1996 class. Gianluigi Quinzi trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Great results Gianluigi!
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.

Saska Gavrilovska, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #799 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. Saska played most of the tournaments in the USA. In December 2006, Saska reached the quarterfinals of under 12 Junior Orange Bowl being 11 years old.
Olga Yanchuk, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Ukraine, is ranked #89 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

2006 – 11th Smrikva Bowl
Gianluigi Quinzi, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #144 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #798 in under 16 cathegory. It is necessary to add that Gianluigi is only 11 years old and in this age group Gianluigi’s results are the best resutls in Tennis Europe’s history. With this ranking Gianluigi is the best ranked player in 1996 and 1995 age group although he is 1996 class. Gianluigi Quinzi trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Great results Gianluigi!
Filip Kraljevic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #9 in Croatia in under 12 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 not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

2007 – 12th 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, is ranked #16 in Croatia in under 12 cathegory.
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.

23/10/07

Glasgow Academy trip to Pula - Smrikve

Toby Smith from Scotland was with his younger players from Glasgow Academy in Pula and we had a very nice Saturday experience mixing Smrikva players and Glasgow Academy players. We played all morning and after we had all together a launch with Pizza’s and this was very nice end of this friendly meeting.

Some parents were with their kids from Scotland and some of them have already been in Smrikve during this year Smrikva Bowl. It was very nice to meet them again.

Some of the players from Scotland played also Smrikva Bowl as I already wrote and some other are training for the next year edition. Toby Smith brought top players from Scotland to the Smrikva Bowl for several years and I was pleased to nominate him Honorary Smrikva Bowl Member for bringing top players to the Smrikva Bowl and also for choosing Pula for their training sessions.

On Saturday boys from Glasgow that played friendly matches were: James Sutherland (1996), Charlie Lonergan (1997), Adam Mckinstry (1998, possible for Smrikva Bowl), James Shemilt (1998, possible for Smrikva Bowl), Alex Hay (1999), Ewen Lumsden (2000) and Ewan Sutherland (2000).
The girls were: Maia Lumsden 1998 (she already played Smrikva Bowl and will play this year) and Wictoria Kulik (1999, possible for Smrikva Bowl)

On Smrikve side we had the following boys players: Antonio Vitasovic (1997), Edi Budisavljevic (1999), Luka Spelic, Igor Rajkov, Igor Mracevic and Ivan Bratulic and among the girls: Ariana Rabac (1996) and Zrinka Bratulic.

It was really nice Saturday and hopefully we will repeat the experience in the Spring of the next year when Glasgow team is planning to come back to Pula. For sure with some of them we will meet during the Smrikva Bowl!

Please find enclosed few words from Toby:

Dear Miodrag,

We all enjoyed our trip very much and all the young players had a very positive experience mixing with young players from a different country. We are all very excited about your future plans for the area surrounding the club and the kids were very impressed with your model plan!! Also I am very honoured to be included as an Honorary Smrikva Bowl Member and myself and my young players are very excited at the prospect of competing…even the youngest ones are motivated to coming out in the future! I will forward on player details and a team photo for your website and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Many regards,

Toby

22/10/07

Petra Martic jumped other 66 places on WTA ranking list and is currently ranked 338 in the World

Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, moved up other 64 places on WTA ranking list. She moved from ranking 404 to current 338 ranking. Petra is doing very well and could be probably in the near future the best ranked Smrikva Bowl player on WTA list. Petra Martic is 16 years old and is currently 2nd best ranked Smrikva Bowl winner on WTA list after Ivana Lisjak.

The last tournament that Petra Martic played was USD 25000 tournament in Great Britain on October 14th. After the qualifications Petra played in the first round against Georgie Stoop from Great Britain that is ranked 299 on WTA list and won: 3:6. 6:1, 6:0.

In the second round Petra Martic played against Nina Bratchikova from Russia that is ranked 406 on WTA list and won again by: 6:4, 6:0.

In the quarter finals Petra Martic played against Angelica Banchmann from Germany that is ranked 164 on WTA list and won in three sets: 6:4, 6:7, 6:2.

In the semifinals Petra played against Julie Coin from France that is ranked 201 and won in two sets by: 6:4, 6:3.

In the finals Petra Martic lost against Sabine Katharina Lisicki from Germany that is ranked 250 on WTA list by: 6:3, 6:4.

Petra Martic is the most talented Croatian tennis player in her age group and probably one of the most talented tennis players in her age group in the World.

Good luck Petra!

21/10/07

Giacomo Miccini played his first USD 10000 Future Tournament in Ciudad Obregon in Mexico

Giaccomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, is currently ranked #90 on ITF ranking list and is currently playing his first Future Tournament in Ciudad Obregon in Mexico on hard surface. Giacomo Miccini trains at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and is one of the best players in the World in his age group. Giacomo is born in 1992.

Giacomo Miccini played first round qualifications and won against Juan-Manuel Romanazzi from Argentina, born in 1988, and currently ranked 1447 on ATP list, 6:1, 6:3.

In the second round of the qualifications Giacomo Miccini played against Marco Aurelio Sanchez from Mexico, born in 1985, and won the match in three sets: 7:5, 3:6, 6:3.

After only one hour break Giacomo Miccini played the third round of the qualifications against Antonio Ruiz-Rosales from Mexico, born in 1984, currently ranked 1465 on ATP list. Ruiz-Rosales’ best ranking was 793 on ATP list, in October 2006. Giacomo Miccini won the match by: 7:6, 5:7, 6:4.

In the first round of the Main Draw Giacomo Miccini lost against David Stojan from Switzerland, born in 1985, currently ranked 1045 on ATP ranking list.

In the next tournament Giacomo should have the Wild Card and could collect his first ATP point.

Good luck for the next tournament!

19/10/07

12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 and 6th"Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl on You Tube

On You Tube there is a 7 minutes video about 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 and 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl. It is the same video that you can download on our internet pages but it takes less time for you to watch it on You Tube. The internet page is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9ycxE5FUII

The video is about Smrikva Bowl story and contains also short interviews with some of the most talented players we had this year. Video also shows the cerimony of the Olive Tree planting. In the interviews you will see Sacha Merzetti from Italy who won boys finals, and Virginia Pena from Spain who won the girls finals. There are also runner ups: Bogdan Borza from Romenia and Ana Konjuh from Croatia. In end there are the top players from “Little Mo” tournament: Eduardo Nava from California and Ndindi Ndunda that played the 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl.

Enjoy the video!

17/10/07

Very nice article about Virginia Pena, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, on www.elmundo-eldia.com

Virgina Pena won 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 and last year she ranked third during the 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006. This result is the second best result in the Smrikva Bowl history. It is second only to Saska Gavrilovska result when Saska won two editions in a row: 2004 and 2005. Gigi is really talented and strong. In Smrikva Bowl Guest Book Virigina signed herself as Gigi. I read that many spanish funs call her Vivi. Virginia will have to decide if she will be Vivi or Gigi for the funs :). I will use the nickname she used in our Guest Book until she decide ;).

Anyway… Jofre Porta was with Gigi and her family in Smrikve during the last year Smrikva Bowl and Jofre in his career trained players like Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal. This year Gigi was in Smrikve with a coach from Romenia. She, her parents and her coach are all very nice people. I have to recall that this year Gigi won the Mountain Bike on the Smrikva Bowl and after few rounds on the court with the bike she decided to give it as a gift to she’s new friend Ariana Rabac from Pula. It is always complicated to take the bike home from the winners that are coming from far away and Gigi decided to give it as a gift. This was very nice from Gigi’s side.

I enjoyed reading the article and also Smrikva Bowl is mentioned as one of the most important under 10 tennis tournament in the World played in Pula. I’ve seen in the article that she is currently trained by a coach from serbia Niko Paunovic… In the article is also said that Gigi won one point to Carlos Moya :)... Good luck Gigi and for the readers (who understand spanish) enjoy the article made by Roberto Diez Yague…

If you are interesting to see Virginia’s photos you can find them in the 12th Smrikva Bowl Photo Gallery on our internet site www.smrikve.com… you can also see a short interview with her in the 12th Smrikva Bowl Video…

POLIDEPORTIVO / Las promesas del deporte balear
http://www.elmundo-eldia.com/2007/10…191189627.html
Sonrisa angelical, mirada competitiva
VIRGINIA PEÑA
Tenista

ROBERTO DÍEZ YAGÜE

PALMA.- Luce una sonrisa angelical pero sus ojos no engañan. La mirada de Virginia Peña (Alicante, 1997) destila competición y picardía. No hay más que ver cómo sale la pelota, escopetada, como un obús. Primero suena el golpetazo de la raqueta. Después un ligero gemido. ¡Cómo le pega la muchacha! «Le apasiona jugar al tenis», señalan sus padres. Por eso se mueve incómoda en la silla y regresa corriendo en cuanto puede a la pista para seguir castigando a la pequeña pelota amarilla.

Los inicios de Virginia no fueron, sin embargo, nada originales. La pequeña de una extensa prole que ya practicaba el tenis vio jugar a los hermanos y cogió la raqueta a los cinco años. «Me gustaba mucho. Y me gusta», asegura sonriente. Desde entonces, la progresión no ha cesado y no parece que tenga que frenarse. «Técnicamente está muy madura, como las niñas de 16 años», explican sus padres. Ellos son los únicos y exclusivos mecenas de Virginia. «Y nuestro dinero nos cuesta. Pero mientras podamos permitírnoslo lo seguiremos haciendo porque es mejor; te permite hacer lo que quieres», explica su padre.

Nike y Prince aportan todo el material deportivo, demostrando que las multinacionales están al tanto de las futuras estrellas casi desde que escalan los barrotes de la cuna. «Pero todo lo demás lo pagamos nosotros. Le han ofrecido ir a escuelas en Barcelona con todos los gastos pagados, pero prefiero que siga creciendo en casa», detalla Teresa, su madre, que suele acompañarla en todos los viajes junto con el entrenador de turno. Desde hace seis meses, el técnico serbio Niko Paunovic dirige los pasos de Virginia con al menos dos horas diarias de entrenamiento y subiendo…

Los resultados han ido cayendo como fruta madura. A los siete años ganó el Campeonato de Mallorca sub-10; a los ocho, el sub-12 y este año ha sido subcampeona de España alevín y ha ganado el Campeonato del Mundo oficioso sub-10, celebrado en junio en la localidad croata de Pula. Son sólo ejemplos de una progresión meteórica. «El año pasado íbamos a Barcelona a jugar por equipos con el Barcino, pero este hemos regresado a Mallorca y entrena en el Club Royal Tennis Academy, en la Costa de la Calma», detalla Teresa, que prefiere mantener a Virginia fuera de las obsesiones deportivas. «En el colegio ella tiene un círculo de amigos con los que no habla de tenis. Así que si el domingo pierde un partido, el lunes puede pasar página y desconectar. Eso es muy importante, porque hay niñas que viven sólo para el tenis», explica el padre de Virginia.

Los estudios marchan bien y el King Richard III College colabora con un plan flexible. «Menos mal que colabora, porque así puede viajar cuando es necesario», reconoce Teresa. Esto ha permitido a Virginia meterse de lleno en torneos ATP como Acapulco o Indian Wells junto a Flavia Pennetta, su ídolo, Rafa Nadal o Carlos Moyà, a quien ya ganó un punto. El año que viene disputará los torneos de Nike y los mejores internacionales en Francia, «pero siempre sin prisa, con tranquilidad», matiza su padre. «Si en sub-12 marcha bien, quién dice que no a sub-14, pero siempre sin agobios», añade. De momento, ya tiene una derecha matadora y un carácter ganador. «El técnico de ahora le ha inculcado un tenis como el del Djokovic, muy agresivo. Pero ella ya era muy competitiva, muy dura y se crece ante la adversidad», señala Teresa. Toni Nadal ya lo dijo cuando ella tenía dos años. «Esta chica promete».

17/10/07

The Story of the "Little Mo". "Little Mo" is linked with Smrikva Bowl trough traditional "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl

15/10/07

Few nice words about Smrikva Bowl Video from Ovidiu Bodea - Honorary Smrikva Bowl Member

Ovidiu Bodea has been supporting Smrikva Bowl for a long time and is one of the first Honorary Smrikva Bowl Members. Every year he helps me to bring the best kids from Romenia to the Smrikva Bowl and Ciprian Porumb junior was one of the first players he sent me. Ciprian ranked 3rd during the 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 and currently he is ranked #1 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. Today he sent me some very nice words regarding 12th Smrikva Bowl Video that I am pleased to share with you.

Hello Mio,

This was an excellent idea!

I finally got to “meet” you and a part of the club, I’m really happy for this! The whole story around the olive tree it’s also very nice and hopefully the kids will keep in mind it’s message forever.

I promised myself – again! – that I have to make it, too to one of the future’s edition of the Bowl. Don’t know yet when, but it will happen. As a matter of fact I already was 2 times in Pula, unfortunately before I got to know you.

I suppose you too already thought at this, but I have to confess that I’m really anxiously looking forward to the day when the kids who played the earliest editions of the tournament will come back as idols of the new kids. Already the news you are continuously updating about them are showing the great quality of the tournament!

Best wishes, we’ll stay in touch!

Ovidiu

15/10/07

Interview with Ivan Sabatini about Smrikva Bowl for www.tennisteen.it and for Giacomo Miccini's Blog on www.giacomomiccini.com

11/10/07

12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 and 6th "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl video is now on line

From today, on our internet pages, there is a 7 minutes video about 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 and 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl.

Enjoy the video!