Success for Czechs in year-end events

The last two tournaments of the 2008 European Calendar took place in the Czech cities of Frydland Nad Ostravici and Opava. The first of these hard court indoor tournaments saw an all Czech final with two qualifiers Robin Vik and Daniel Lustig disputing the final with the 27 year old Vik overcoming the challenge of his opponent 6-4 6-2 to record his second singles title of the year.

The doubles saw fourth-seeded British pair Colin Fleming and Jonathan Marray walk away with the winner’s trophy after second seeds Andis Juska from Latvia and Konstantin Kravchuk from Russia had to retire when trailing 3-6 2-3.

The British pair won it again one week later by imposing themselves 6-4 6-2 against the unseeded Czech pair of Jaroslav Pospisil and Jiri Skoloudik, this was Fleming’s fifth doubles win in a row on the Futures Circuit.

The second week then saw the Czech player Jan Mertl overcome the challenge of Andis Juska 7-6(7) 7-5 in the singles final, avenging in the process Juska defeating him in both the singles and doubles events of the previous week, and capping off a wonderful year for himself by adding another trophy to his other four singles titles won on the Futures Circuit in 2008.