Marcinko becomes youngest player in four years to win an ITF W80 title

Petra Marcinko underlined her burgeoning status as a future star after becoming the youngest player in four years to win a title on the ITF World Tennis Tour at W80 level or above.

The 16-year-old Croatian defeated Ysaline Bonaventure 6-3 7-6(2) in the final at W80 Poitiers on Sunday to become the youngest winner of an ITF tournament at this level since American Whitney Osuigwe won W80 Tyler in 2018.

Marcinko, who ended 2021 as the junior world No. 1 and won the girls’ singles title at the Australian Open in January, has now won three professional singles titles, adding to her back-to-back triumphs at W25 Antalya in March.

She entered the French tournament last week using a Junior Exempt entry (which grants Top 20 juniors a place in five World Tennis Tour tournaments the following year to aid their progression) and capitalised on the opportunity – dropping just one set (against former world No. 33 Clara Tauson in the last four) en route to the title.

Marcinko, the 2021 ITF World Champion in the junior category, was one of 44 players, both professional and junior, to have been awarded financial assistance through an ITF-administered Grand Slam Player Grant in 2022 to help with her evolution as a tennis player.

Elsewhere, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Townsend appear to have hit form just in time for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on 8-13 November, after both won big on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

Paolini, who will represent Italy in Glasgow at the women’s world cup of tennis, defeated Ukrainian Kateryna Baindl 6-4 6-4 to win W100 Les Franqueses de Valles – her ninth ITF singles crown and 11th professional title overall.

Townsend, who next week will feature in a formidable-looking USA side that will have high hopes of claiming their first Billie Jean King Cup title since 2017, secured her second title of the year with victory at W80 Tyler.

The 26-year-old, who marked her return from maternity leave with victory at W100 Charleston in May, added another impressive triumph with a strong week in Texas that culminated in a 6-4 6-2 victory over Yue Yuan.

Kimberly Birrell was also a notable winner on the ITF World Tennis Tour last week, winning her first title in over four years at W60 Playford after beating Maddison Inglis 3-6 7-5 6-4.

“It means so much,” admitted the 24-year-old Australian after claiming the third ITF singles crown of her career and second at W60 level.

“I’ve had a really tough last couple of years. To be honest I didn’t know if I was going to play tennis again let alone make it back to this level. To have played an entire year, this is my second last tournament of the year, and I haven’t really had many breaks due to injury this year… I’m just so happy to have made it to the end of the tournament. To win at this level again after so many years is really special.

“I’m not going to forget this week at all, ever!”

Find out all of the weekend's title winners on the ITF World Tennis Tour here