Amidst all of the chaos in Melbourne Park during the 2016 Australian Open, the ITF Pro Circuit has had their own share of drama and high quality tennis. Many players who missed out on a chance of qualifying for the first Grand Slam of the season, returned to the lower tier tournaments in order to get more matches under their built. This week, there were 14 tournaments being played simultaneously across the men’s and women’s calendar, with some former big names beginning to make their mark at the ITF Pro Circuit level.
Gonzalez, Kenin Among Champions Crowned this Week
One of those players is Sorana Cirstea, who was a runner-up at the $25,000 event in Guaruja. The Romanian has taken a significant fall from grace in the last two years after making the final of the Rogers Cup in 2013, where she struggled to stay injury-free and most notably, her consistency from tournament to tournament. This week, the 25-year-old won a handful of matches that boosted her confidence but fell in three sets to Paraguay’s Montserrat Gonzalez. Gonzalez, a 21-year-old from Asuncion, won her first ITF singles title since 2013, a year where she won six titles all in South America. The world number 258 overcame a nightmarish opening set in which she won just one game in 28 minutes. However, after winning the second set 7-6(5), the match turned on a dime in favour of the Paraguayan, racing to the title with a 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 victory.
Back in the United States, former junior world number two and Orange Bowl champion Sofia Kenin cruised to the $25,000 in Wesley Chapel, Florida as a qualifier, defeating Jesika Maleckova 6-2, 6-2 in an hour and six minutes. With this win, the 17-year-old captures her maiden ITF singles title, which is the perfect start to what promises to be a breakthrough 2016 season for the teenager.
Other winners this week include Slovakia’s Chantal Skamlova, Italy’s Anastasia Grymalska and Macedonia’s Lina Gjorcheska - all winners of $10,000 events ranging from the Middle East to Western Europe.
Paul, Tyurnev Capture $25K Titles
On the men’s side, American Tommy Paul continued his winning ways in Sunrise, Florida, outlasting Frenchman Adrien Puget 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the showpiece for the second week in a row, consequently clinching his fourth career ITF singles title. Paul, who ended last season ranked outside of the top 900 in 2014, jumped more than 600 spots in the rankings to crack the top 300. If the former junior world number three can keep making the necessary improvements to his game, there is no reason why he can't be a threat on the ATP World Tour in the next five to ten years.
Elsewhere, in the Kazakhstani city of Aktobe, Evgeny Tyurnev defeated top seed Danilo Petrovic 7-6(23), 6-4 to capture the $25,000 title. Yes, you read that right. 7-6(23). Talk about a rare score line for a set! With this victory, the 18-year-old captures his second ITF singles title and first since 2014.
Other winners this week included Egypt’s Mohamed Safwat, France’s Constant Lestienne and Germany’s Mats Moraing – who were all victorious in their respective homelands this week.
A Look at Next Week’s Tournaments
Next week, there will be 16 tournaments across the ITF Pro Circuit, nine for the men and seven for the women, ranging from Cairo, Egypt to Maui, Hawaii to Castelldefels, Japan.
Amidst all of the chaos at the Australian Open, be sure to check back here next week for your weekly ITF roundup!