On Saturday, September 12, on the hard courts of Chișinău the final matches in singles of the international Tennis tournament were played at Arena Europe SG Junior Cup among tennis players under 14. The winners were Ukrainians Sofia Triboi and Arseniy Pinchuk. Moldovan juniors also made a name for themselves in the final round of the tournament: Milena Zanochi and Nikita Gavrilova reached the semifinals of the singles competition.
SG Junior Cup was held in Chisinau as part of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour from September 5 to 12. The second-category tournament brought together players born in 2012–2014 from Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, Kazakhstan, Greece, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Georgia, Spain, and other countries. Matches are held on outdoor hard courts in Chișinău . Arena .
The singles competition used a combined format. After the group stage, the top eight players advanced to the playoffs. These top eight determined the tournament champions.
In the girls’ tournament, top seed Sofia Triboi of Ukraine won the title. Her playoff run, however, was far from straightforward. In the quarterfinals, the Ukrainian had to fight through a three-set match against Sofia Kaniushin of Moldova . The Moldovan won the first set 7-5, but Triboi then turned the tide and won the next two sets 6-3, 6-3.
In the semi-finals, Sofia met Alima Khamitova from Kazakhstan won this time in two sets – 6:2, 6:1.
Another Moldovan player, Milena Zanochi , the fourth seed, reached the semifinals in the lower half of the draw. In the quarterfinals, she defeated Varvara Kozyr of Ukraine 7-6(4), 6-3. In the final match, Milena faced second-seeded Eva Girnik of Ukraine. Girnik won that match 6-1, 6-3.
Thus, the women’s final pitted the two top seeds, Triboi and Girnik . The match began entirely in Girnik’s favor , leading 6-1 in the first set. But Sofia responded in kind, winning 6-1 in the second. The title was decided in the third set, where the top seed prevailed, 7-5.
The boys’ finale turned out to be similar in terms of drama.
Ukraine’s No. 1 seed Arseniy Pinchuk opened the playoffs with a win over Danil Matunin from the Czech Republic – 6:3, 6:2. In the semifinals, his opponent was Nikita Gavrilov from Moldova, seeded sixth.
Gavrilov had previously confidently defeated Georgian Davit Tevzadze – 6:2, 6:3. In the semifinals, the Moldovan tennis player put Pinchuk through a tough fight in the first set, which ended in a tiebreak – 7:6(6). In the second, Pinchuk consolidated his lead – 6:2.
Caius advanced from the bottom half of the draw to the final. Seliukas from Lithuania. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Ukrainian Ivan Litvyak 6-1, 6-1, and then beat Greek Dimitris in the semifinals. Antonio – 6:1, 6:2.
Seliukas final was the most intense match of the men’s singles final. The Lithuanian won the first set 7-5. Pinchuk responded with a completely different second set, winning 6-0. The third set was decided only in a tiebreak. Arseniy Pinchuk won the final 5-7, 6-0, 7-6(6) and became the SG Junior Champion. Cup.
For Moldovan tennis players, the tournament wasn’t limited to just two singles semifinals. Moldovan players also reached the very late stages of the doubles competition.
In the girls’ tournament, Sofia Kanyushin and Milena Zanochi , seeded second, reached the final. In the semifinals, the Moldovan pair defeated third-seeded Varvara Lyubenko of Ukraine and Kristina Shegai of Kazakhstan 6:2, 4:6, or 11:9. In the final, Sofia and Milena faced the tournament’s top seed, Eva Girnik and Varvara Kozyr of Ukraine. The Moldovan tennis players won the first set 6:2, lost the second 5:7, and the championship tiebreak ended with a minimal difference of 11:9 in favor of the Ukrainian pair.
However, Moldova retained the title in the boys’ doubles tournament. Nikita Gavrilov and Alexander Saban, the fourth seeds, reached the final, where they faced Ukrainians Igor Abramyuk and Ivan Litvyak . The Moldovan pair won the deciding match in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6(4).
Thus, by the end of the singles program, the Moldovan representatives at SG Junior Cup – one doubles title, one doubles final, and two singles semifinals. Nikita Gavrilov finished the tournament with two results: a singles semifinal and a win in doubles with Alexander Saban. Milena Zanochi also reached the singles semifinals and the doubles final with Sofia Kanyushin .
The winners and finalists were awarded cups, certificates, and commemorative prizes from Multisport.
Congratulations to the tournament winners and the Moldovan juniors on their excellent results!
