More Tunisian success for duo in Tabarka
Over the past two weeks, Nicholas Ionel and Ganna Poznikhirenko contested the men’s and women’s finals in both singles and doubles in M15 and W15 tournaments in Tabarka, Tunisia and in week 44 on the ITF World Tennis Tour they completed back-to-back singles title wins.
Ionel, 17, saw off Andrea Picchione in Sunday’s final to add to his doubles triumph alongside Petru-Alexandru Luncanu whilst 25-year-old Ganna Poznikhirenko’s singles success followed a doubles title win of her own with partner Julyette Maria Josephine Steur, her opponent in the singles title match.
Both players were joined by Sandra Samir and Storm Sanders as double title winners in week 44 and Ionel was the youngest of five teenage singles champions.
Samir and Sanders victories came in their respective homelands of Egypt and Australia. Having won the doubles titles, top seeded Samir won her second singles title from six finals in 2019 with a 6-2 6-1 defeat of Joanna Zawadzka at the W15 Sharm El Sheikh tournament whilst Sanders was appearing in her first singles final since 2015 and a 6-3 6-4 win over Lizette Cabrera in the W60 Playford title match gave the Australian the biggest title win of her pro career and a first since February 2013.
In Texas at the W80 Tyler tournament, American wild card Alexa Glatch continued her 2019 comeback after knee and hip surgeries kept her away from the courts for 18 months with a run to the final where she fell 6-4 6-4 to Mandy Minella.
“It’s been a long journey back. I’m so thankful to be here and to be playing,” the American remarked after the match which saw her earn a second runners-up finish of the year having also reached the W25 Denver final back in June.
Other big winners at W60 tournaments over the weekend were Francesca Di Lorenzo in Toronto, Canada, Cristina Bucsa in Nantes, France, Lin Zhu in Liuzhou, China and Elisabetta Cocciaretto in Asuncion, Paraguay.
Three players celebrated becoming first time singles champions on the ITF World Tennis Tour. Teenagers Georgii Kravchenko and Adrenn Nagy won in Spain and Mexico respectively with Celia Cervino Ruiz, 21, a winner in Portugal.
28-year-old Arantxa Rus strengthened her position at the top of the title winner's leaderboard with her latest title win in Luxembourg, her ninth and record equalling title win to match Fernanda Brito’s achievement in 2018. Arantxa Rus and Fernanda Brita have won more ITF singles titles than any other player during a calendar year.
The former WTA top 100 player ran out a winner in three sets over Laura-Ioana Paar in the W25 Petange final. Having lost in a W25 Singapore final in mid-January, Rus has now won her last nine finals and with four more tournaments currently scheduled the Dutch Fed Cup player is well placed to become the first player to secure ten singles titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour in a calendar year.