 Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 25 May 2009 |  Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 26 May 2009 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 28 May 2009 |  Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 26 May 2009 |  Photographer: Francesco Panunzio
Date: 26 May 2009 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 28 May 2009 |
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| 25 May 2009 - Milan - Marco Massetani | |
| Arguello and Stephens Shine in Milan |
Argentine Facundo Arguello and Sloane Stephens of the USA are the Italian Open Bonfiglio champions. They won the third junior Grade A event of the year, which was preceded by the Casablanca Cup and Copa Gerdau. Arguello beat home favourite Federico Gaio 64 26 63 in the boys' final while Stephens enjoyed a 64 62 win over Serbian Aleksandra Krunic in the girls' event.
After his victory in Copa Graiman last Janaury, 17-year-old Arguello captured his first Grade A title in Milan, one year after the success of his fellow-countryman Guido Pella, thus confirming the great Argentine tradition in this competition (seven players on the men’s roll of honour since 1986). “I’m really very happy to win this competition and I hope to begin from here a great professional tennis career” Arguello said after he raised Italian Open trophy.
His final opponent, Gaio, who won the Grade 2 City of Florence title and was runner-up in Traralgon, Australia, and Salsomaggiore, Italy, this year, did not manage to equal Matteo Trevisan's feat at Bonfiglio 2007 after the intense semifinals against other Argentine Andrea Collarini. Arguello, who broke Gaio in the fifth game to take 32 lead and then went on to win the first set, played a superb match with solid service games and excellent quick on-court mobility. “Today I was a little bit nervous and I suffered from mental fatigue” said Gaio “I had a wonderful week here in Milan but I’m very sorry about not doing my best things in the final”.
16-year-old American Sloane Stephens continued her excellent run, and once again Italian public admired this emerging tennis talent. USTA International Spring Championship winner Stephens played a perfect match against Krunic with an easy 64 62 win, after the Serbian player got off the the better start in the in the first set and lead 31 before the American fought back. Thanks to her powerful tennis the ‘small Serena Williams’, trained by ex top 100 ATP Roger Smith, was able to dominate Krunic for most of the remaining games and win her first important title on clay. “I like very much to play on clay because I adore to slide” said Stephens at the end of the match. “I have to thank the fantastic Italian public. I will remember this great tennis week and the Bonacossa Club for the rest of my life”. The last American player to win Italian Open Bonfiglio was 1982’s World Junior Champion Gretchen Rusch Magers.
Magda Linette of Poland and Anna Orlik of Belarus won the girls’ doubles title with a long 60 26 10-7 match tiebreak win over Tamara Curovic of Serbia and Chantal Skamlova of Slovakia. Linette just won two doubles title this year while Orlink claimed last year's doubles title at the Grade 1 Eddie Herr (partnering British Laura Robson). Unseeded Germans Richard Becker and Dominik Schulz came through a dramatic match to win 64 46 10-8 against Italian Matthieu Vierin and Australian David Sofaer and pick up the boys doubles title.
Final results can be found at http://www.tcmbonacossa.it/bonfiglio.asp
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