The second day of the Fighting Illini Invite saw Illinois post a doubles win and three singles victories at Atkins Tennis Center on Saturday – The second day of the Fighting Illini Invite saw Illinois post a doubles win and three singles victories at Atkins Tennis Center on Saturday Playing in the second of three days of competition and Boise State all participated in both singles and doubles action in a hidden dual-style format With the three teams starting the day with doubles play, William Mroz and Jeremy Zhang earned their third doubles win of the weekend taking down Boise State's Dylan Jaen and Taiyo Kurata Zach Viiala delivered the Orange and Blue's first singles win of the afternoon Viiala clinched the victory over Boise State's Julius Seifert in straight sets for his first collegiate singles win at Atkins Max Mroz was not far behind sealing the first singles win of his collegiate career with a straight-set decision over the Broncos' Dylan Jaen Pulling ahead via a hard-fought first-set tiebreaker Mroz broke Jaen's serve twice in the second set en route to a 7-6(6) William Mroz secured the final Illini win of the day against Boise State's Carson Baker. A 6-3 victory in the first frame followed by a 6-4 loss in the second set sent the match to a tiebreaking third, in which William Mroz broke twice to take the set The final day of the Fighting Illini Invite is set for Sunday with doubles action slated to begin at 9 a.m The participating schools will then conclude the weekend with another slate of singles matches immediately following doubles play There are currently no upcoming BIG+ streams Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Bike Europe is a part of VMNmedia. The following rules apply to the use of this site: Terms of Use and Privacy / Cookie Statement | Privacy settings few brands have the reputation for quality style and technological advancement as Stromer the Swiss company is set for a most welcome North American invasion Stromer is releasing some exciting new models in 2024 such as the stunning ST5 with […] When it comes to e-bikes, few brands have the reputation for quality, style and technological advancement as Stromer. Already the top e-bike brand in Europe Stromer is releasing some exciting new models in 2024 such as the stunning ST5 with pinion gearing To find out more about what Stromer is all about the brand’s Co-CEO along with Karl Ludwig Kley Behind the sleek designs and cutting-edge technology lies a fascinating tale of determination and vision the man instrumental in shaping the Stromer vision Viiala’s journey with Stromer traces back to a serendipitous encounter during a mountain bike race in 1996 Little did he know that this chance meeting with the brand’s founder would set the stage for a transformative journey in the e-bike industry “We started as competitors in a race but ended up forging a lifelong friendship That’s where the seeds of Stromer were planted,” Viiala says Stromer Co-CEOs Tomi Viiala and Karl Ludwig Kley already an entrepreneur in the bike industry it was in 2009 that a pivotal moment occurred when Thomas envisioned integrating technology into e-bikes for a sleeker look The primary goal was to hide the bulky batteries that characterized e-bikes of that era Stromer set out to create a better-looking it made history by introducing the first connected e-bike with a SIM card and touchscreen—a testament to their commitment to innovation Viiala’s involvement in Stromer began a decade ago when Binggeli reached out to him he held a sport board member position for the BMC MC module The call from Binggeli marked the beginning of Viiala’s role in building up global sales and marketing for Stromer Despite initial skepticism surrounding the acceptance of e-bikes Stromer’s focus on commuting and class three bikes The journey wasn’t without its challenges believing that e-bikes could revolutionize commuting Ten years have passed since Stromer first entered the U.S Stromer was among the early players in the U.S making waves when a young Leonardo DiCaprio was seen tooling around on one of their bikes in New York While Stromer believed in the potential of the U.S they recognized that it lagged behind Europe in embracing electric bikes for commuting Stromer focuses on electric bikes designed for commuting particularly class three bikes that can reach speeds of 28 mph Stromer remains committed to changing the way people commute Stromer believes there’s still room for electric bikes as a practical solution for daily commutes The focus on commuting is evident in Stromer’s history from expanding quickly in Europe to becoming number one in 26 markets for fast e-bikes and Stromer sees tremendous potential in replacing short car trips with electric bikes Their bikes offer an efficient and faster alternative as demonstrated by a 12-mile commute being faster than a car stuck in traffic believing that electric bikes can be the solution for changing the way people move especially for daily commutes in urban settings “We still believe we are at the beginning of this journey,” Viiala says “That gives me the confidence that in the US and in Europe and the younger generation will be less car oriented And now you hear that kids are not even getting a driver’s license anymore The car is not a status symbol any longer.” Stromer also pioneered connectivity features in e-bikes the general manager of Stromer’s North American operations highlighted the robust safety and tracking features integrated into their bikes such as GPS tracking and mileage tracking — something that has been a big part of Stromer for years The Omni computer on the bikes provides users with real-time information making it a valuable tool for both riders and service providers “We believed in the power of connectivity early on,” Viiala says “It was about more than just riding a bike; it was about seamlessly integrating it into your lifestyle.” When asked about what makes Stromer stand out in the e-bike market Rajakylä emphasized three key factors: safety it is built with the technology and components to provide a seamless transition “The vision and mission is to reduce the amount of cars on the road and many times Stromer is actually a replacement of your car,” Rajakylä says The bikes have large motors of 750 watts up to a whopping 1440 watt hours and are capable of reaching speeds of 28 mph with a range of well over 100 miles The bikes also have fully integrated anti-lock brakes is another model that has an even larger motor of about 1440 watts with a massive range and one could easily see the transition from car to e-bike when Stromer is involved The bikes comply with stringent European regulations The connectivity features offer users a seamless and secure experience including anti-theft measures and remote tracking Stromer’s commitment to using well-made components such as the low-maintenance pinion gearbox contributes to the overall reliability and longevity of their bikes Viiala says he doesn’t see Stromer’s competition amongst the wild west of e-bike brands flooding the market He sees his competition as the car industry maybe or better compared to the competition which are using systems from Bosch or Shimano or Panasonic or Yamaha we have our own systems and our own engineers “So it still feels with the rear hub motor that you are going cycling and you have a tailwind pushing you and it reacts very nicely because we have a sensor in the back and the sensor is reacting on how you pedal — the pedal less immediately you get less support from the motor.” people need to test the bikes for themselves not when you ride one and perhaps compare it to other bikes on the market “I believe we can do changes as a small brand everywhere because every time when we see people and put them on our bikes “We see that at every event where we turn up with our bikes I don’t have to tell them about the price tag or the components That’s why we still believe we are at the beginning of this journey For more information on Stromer, check out the website Find inspiration in our Gear Guide that will keep you out on your bike through wind or rain one of Australia's leading junior players and a member of Tennis Australia's National Tennis Academy Brisbane, Australia, 11 November 2022 | Leigh Rogers Zachary Viiala is one of Australia’s most promising junior athletes After undergoing hip surgery earlier this year the 17-year-old from Perth has made a promising return Viiala won an ITF junior title at Adelaide in September without losing a set and has recently been competing on the ITF World Junior Tour in Asia In our series profiling Tennis Australia’s National Tennis Academy athletes the unassuming Viiala reveals discipline is his biggest strength … I think I started when I was about four years old One of my friends wanted to start playing and he asked me to play with him and it sort of took off from there I like being by myself on the court and relying on myself to win There’s lots of different aspects in tennis and I want to perfect all of them Roger Federer has always been my favourite He’s just nice to watch and he is so humble off the court as well he was around (in Brisbane) while he was injured He was always like ‘just shout out if you need anything or want to chat about the process of it’ And it was kind of good to see the exercises that he was doing It had been reasonably boring and pretty repetitive for a few months I guess everyone’s going to get injured at some stage and it’s all a learning curve I feel like I’ve learned a few different things I feel like I’ve always been reasonably disciplined within myself I represented Australia at the ITF Junior Tennis Finals in the Czech Republic three years ago and getting to play for your country gives you a special feeling inside we don’t get too much international exposure when we’re younger It was a bit of an eye-opener to see the European players and how hard they work It was a good experience and makes you even more competitive There’s a lot of variables that you can’t control so I’ll have to learn to like it eventually It sort of varies from person to person and depends on how much effort you want to put into school as it is hard to make a living out of tennis and I want to have options There’s no easy way around managing school I’d say disciplined and an all-rounder I feel like I’m pretty composed on court I don’t sway around too much or show too much emotion I feel like that helps me in tough situations And my serve has come along well these past few years and I feel like I’m relying on it more and more I probably say Rafael Nadal’s forehand I sort of just want to develop as a person You have to learn from the people around you – their strengths and weaknesses to help you bond with them and also beat them in a match I feel like there is a lot of independence in tennis too so you have to learn how to deal with that but there’s not too much time in the day for other activities I recently finished watching Ozark and it’s probably up there right now I used to be a bit of a foodie back in the day but now I sort of just eat what gets served and I’m not too fussy Social media is a bit of rubbish to be honest so I grew up playing on both grass and hard courts My family would say I’m funny but serious My friends would say I’m disciplined and quiet I remember the 2012 final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal I wasn’t there but I was watching on TV with my family The 2017 final between Roger Federer and Rafa was a special one for me There’s lots of money in the Grand Slams and all the best players play My first one might have been Nick Kyrgios at a Davis Cup tie in Perth in 2014 I remember trying to get Roger Federer’s signature at the Hopman Cup Zachary Viiala training at the National Tennis Academy in Brisbane I feel like the coaches here are some of the best in the world and I think that really helps develop my game to the senior level It is a big jump from juniors to seniors and they know the secrets behind success I’d say it is to work hard because even if you fail people will know you for being a hard worker While working hard won’t always get you what you want I think if you view it as an intense environment you won’t get the most out of it because you’ll be too stressed most of the time so I think we push ourselves and each other a lot I think having bonds off the court is important too because even though tennis is an individual sport it helps to work as a team during training At first it was quite intimidating in a way If you’re called up for a hit with Ash Barty or James Duckworth It’s always good to have someone to look up to and see where you want to be in the future The first time I hit with her I was pretty nervous It was before this year’s Australian Open and she’d been world No.1 for a while A lot of the drills were based around her needs But it was a great experience to see what a world No.1 level is like Book online, play today: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun 12 September 2022 | Tennis SA Zachary Viiala (Qld) and Gabrielle Villegas (Vic) are the Adelaide Junior International champions after taking out the singles titles at Next Generation Memorial Drive on Sunday Top seed Viiala defeated Alexander Despoja (SA) 6-1 6-4 while Villegas defeated Kristina Tai (SA) 2-6 6-2 7-5 along with South Australia’s Diana Badalyan will lead their respective fields as the second tournament kicks off today The sharing economy is a way to reduce climate emissions from consumption The sharing economy also offers a wide range of business opportunities Welcome to be inspired by entrepreneurial stories and discuss about the sharing economy as a promoter of sustainable consumption on 18 February at Tribe Tampere The event is for anyone interested in how businesses can promote sustainable lifestyles and facilitate sustainable choices for citizens Our panellists come from a variety of companies that promote sustainable everyday life Karoliina Kauhanen is one of the founders of Commun Finland's largest helping app.  Annika Viiala is a founding member of Willar which has been involved in several sharing economy experiments a company that aims to help other companies use supply chain data to promote sustainability Event is organised by the City of Tampere's Carbon Neutral Actions development program in collaboration with Tribe Tampere we want to stimulate the debate on the potential of the sharing economy between citizens and businesses We also want to encourage people to think about their own ways of owning goods Renting and borrowing instead of buying brings many benefits to everyday life The event will also provide an opportunity to hear about the support and advice Business Tampere offers to businesses Scale up expert Tero Kyckling will be present 17:00 Facilitated discussion - entrepreneurs of Commu Willari and MorrowX share their stories and experiences in sharing economy 18:00 Ideation: brainstorming and gather ideas how the city could support businesses that promote the sharing economy You are on the official website of the City of Tampere.  E-mail[email protected] Frenckellinaukio 2 BP.O. Box 48733101 Tampere Zach Viaala and Jessie Cully travelled from Perth with their mums Link copiedShareShare articleHer friends are hitting the beach for school holidays but 11-year-old Jessie Cully is 3,000km from home hitting a tennis ball against the best Australian players in her age group She is one of 64 players competing in the U12 and U14 2017 Australian Grasscourt Championships being played at Berri in South Australia. "We are on holidays now so they are probably just hanging out and going to the beach and stuff. I would prefer to be here," Jessie said. The Western Australian youngster trains hard, often putting tennis ahead of school and social activities in order to clock up hours of practice every day to prepare for big tournaments like this one. "We are preparing her more for next year when it will be her age group, and she will have a few nationals under her belt so she knows what to expect," mum Georgia Cully said. "How to play when she's away, manage sleep and the excitement of being with her friends every day at the tennis." Junior tennis players from across Australia are competing at the championships. (ABC Riverland: Catherine Heuzenroeder) It is hard to believe the kids hitting the ball on the Berri courts are all younger than 14, but Tennis Australia tournament director Francis Soyer knows even at this age they are taking the game very seriously. "It certainly puts us [adults] to shame with our social skills on the tennis court, but these kids are training every day and their skills are very good," he said. The national championships are a fertile breeding ground for future stars. Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis both won the championships as promising juniors, and chances are the next big names in Australian tennis are playing on the Berri courts. "The names are probably unfamiliar to people at the moment, but once they start graduating from the 14U and move to 16U and start playing the professional circuit, people will start recognising their names," Mr Soyer said. It is only the second time the championships have been held in South Australia, and the first time they have been hosted at Berri. Another Western Australian player is 11-year-old Zach Viiala. He dreams of playing tennis professionally, and admits he has no interest in playing electronic Playstation or Xbox games with other kids his age. "I just focus on the next match, try to play my best every match," he said. The 2017 Australian Grasscourt Championships for U12 and U14 were hosted in Berri for the first time. (ABC Riverland: Catherine Heuzenroeder) Mum Sharan Dogra said tournaments such as the one at Berri gave the promising youngsters a chance to socialise together. "They are very like-minded children. I find he makes friends very easily with the other tennis players," Ms Dogra said. While the young players are putting everything into their dreams, behind the scenes their parents are investing heavily in their playing future. "It is a big sacrifice. He [Zach] has an older sister and younger brother. We leave them behind because we can't all travel," Ms Dogra said. For Ms Cully, keeping daughter Jessie grounded is a priority. "We are very realistic. We try to give her good balance, we make sure she plays another sport, and we do have time off away from the tennis scene," she said. "She loves it and pushes it herself, but you need that fun." CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) The two triumphs helped the Orange and Blue improve to 12-6 overall this season 23 Illinois secured two sweeps in its doubleheader against Northwestern and Chicago State on Saturday The Fighting Illini began the afternoon with a 4-0 road win over the Wildcats in Big Ten play before recording a 4-0 victory over Chicago State to close the day The win over Northwestern moved the Illini's conference record to 5-2 heading into the back half of Illinois' Big Ten regular-season slate "First off, a huge thank you to all of the alumni and supporters who came out. You made it feel like a home match, and our guys capitalized on that support," said head coach Brad Dancer "It's always great to get a Big Ten road win and we look forward to the challenges next week against two really good teams in Michigan and Michigan State." which saw the pair pick up their first triumph as a tandem in Big Ten action Making his second consecutive appearance at No Viiala continued his winning ways with a 6-3 6-4 decision over Northwestern's Max Bergtsson The straight-set victory moved him to 5-2 in singles play during the Illini's Big Ten slate while he remained perfect on Court 4 with a 2-0 record at that position Kenta Miyoshi extended the Orange and Blue's lead with a 6-3 6-2 win against Saiprakash Goli at the top singles court Despite getting broken early and facing a 3-1 deficit Miyoshi claimed the next five games to take the first frame He then broke twice again in the second set en route to his 11th singles victory during dual play Will Mroz clinched the Illini's road triumph with a come-from-behind win at No After dropping the opening set to Felix Nordby Mroz bounced back by prevailing in the second frame Mroz completed his comeback with a 6-2 decision in the third frame which saw him improve to 5-0 against conference competition The Illini quickly claimed the doubles point. After the Cougars forfeited on Court 3, Tyler Bowers and Gabrielius Guzauskas posted a 6-0 victory at No 2 doubles to give Illinois a 1-0 lead in the match Chicago State defaulted at No. 5 and 6 singles, which pushed the Orange and Blue's advantage up to 3-0. Max Mroz clinched the Illini victory with a dominant 6-0 His straight-set win marked his first singles triumph in dual play this season 23 Illinois remains on the road for matches against Michigan and Michigan State next weekend CT before facing the Spartans on Sunday at 11 a.m Thanks for visiting 10 April 2019 | Tennis West WA’s young gun Zach Viiala will join team mates Jeremy Zhang (NSW) and Alex Despoja (SA) at the ITF Junior Tennis Finals in Projestov, Czech Republic in August later this year. Travelling with the team will be WA ‘s Talent Development Manager and coach Damian Ward.  The trio, who last week finished second in the ITF World Junior Tennis Asia / Oceania qualifying event in  Kuala Lumpur, played an impressive tournament across the six days of competition.  Overcoming Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Korea, India and China in qualifying, the Aussie boys’ will now battle it in the Finals against qualification zone winners from Africa, North/Central America, South America, Europe. The Finals appearance sets up a chance for the Aussie team to be crowned ITF World Junior Tennis champions. WA’s Talent Development Manager and coach Damian Ward says the teams performance throughout the week was outstanding. “Without a doubt the boys have all grown from the experience, both on and off the court,” “I’m very proud of all of the boys, they worked incredibly hard throughout the qualifying tournament to secure a Finals position. I couldn’t be prouder of their efforts,” said Damian. The ITF World Junior Tennis Finals will be played in Projestov, Czech Republic form the 5-10 August 2019. Former winners of the boys ITF World Junior Tennis includes ATP household names such as Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Nalbandian and Richard Gasquet. The girls’ team, represented by WA’s Taylah Preston and Jessie Culley and QLD’s Hana Sonton competes from 8-13 April. Jeremy Jin will play with the world's top junior players in Paris next month. (ABC News: Taryn Southcombe) Link copiedShareShare articleHe may be young, but Jeremy Jin knows the eyes of the world are about to be on him. The 12-year-old from the Sydney suburb of Kogarah has been selected to represent Australia at a junior tournament in Paris, to be played during the French Open in early June. "I'm really excited," Jeremy said. The Future Tennis Aces competition will bring together the world's top young players. Jeremy, who is the Australian number one in his age group, knows not to underestimate his opponents. While on-court tantrums from high-profile Australian players like Nick Kyrgios have recently made headlines, Jeremy is keen to put the best Australian sportsmanship on show. "I do get frustrated quite a lot, but I try to control my temper, especially around lots of people," he said. Jeremy Jin (centre) with his coach Simon Ede (left) and former Pro tennis player Wally Masur. (ABC News: Taryn Southcombe) Before packing his bags for Paris, Jeremy had a training session with former professional Wally Masur, who said he was impressed by what he saw. Masur, who is Tennis Australia's head of performance, said it could be difficult for young players to cope with high expectations, particularly in the media spotlight. "We place even more pressure and anxiety on them, even more sets of eyes, playing on the world stage, it's not always the easiest of journeys," he said. Jeremy with his parents on court in Sydney, is too hard to beat now, his father says. (ABC News: Taryn Southcombe) Jeremy's parents, who both play tennis, gave their son at racquet when he was four. His father Michael Jin said within a few years, Jeremy was showing promising results. Jeremy's coach, Simon Ede, and his parents will travel with him to Paris. Mr Jin said he tries not to let Jeremy put too much pressure on himself. "I always ask him, when you're on the court, just relax," he said. 10 January 2018 | Tennis West This past month the country’s best players assembled at Melbourne Park for the December Showdown more than 1,500 matches were played to find out who the best players across each age group were The Australian Open Play-Off was also held at the same time which the junior players enjoyed watching The Australian Teams Championships and the Australian Open Wildcard Play-Off were held from December 2-17 Western Australia had 38 players attend the Nationals this year across the various age groups The Tennis West Coaching Team and a number of elite private coaches from across WA were also in Melbourne to provide coaching support Australian National Championships Individual Event Jessie Culley & Hana Sonton defeated Lily Fairclough & Abbi Gibson teams competed in a round robin format identical to the Hopman Cup The teams were; USA (Talia Gibson & Zach Viiala) Russia (Lauren Nikoloski & Cian Ingles) Australia (Skye Royall & Zach Melanie) Germany (Jessie Culley & Arden De Melo Canada (James Newton & Saanvi Tak) and Switzerland (Lily Fairclough & Derek Pham) The final match was between the USA and Belgium with the USA winning the tie 2-1 after a win in the deciding mixed doubles Zach and Talia met with Team USA at the Mastercard Hopman Cup Jack Sock and Coco Vandeweghe hit with Zach and Talia posed for photos together and gave some valuable insight on tour life and some helpful tips for their future in the sport 14 March 2019 | Tennis West WA continues to prove it’s position as a leader in the development of world class junior tennis players with 4 WA Players selected from a possible 12 positions in the ITF World Junior Teams and Junior Fed Cup Team Jessie Culley (Cottesloe) and Taylah Preston (Hocking) will head to Malaysia in April to represent Australia in the World Junior Teams Event (14/U) whilst fourteen year old Talia Gibson (Alfred Cove) was selected for the prestigious Junior Fed Cup Team (16/U) and will play in Thailand later this month Damien Ward extends the states representation With both domestic and international success and joins the ITF Boys World Junior Team as the number one player in the team Selection in the World Junior Team augments Zach’s international exposure having being selected in 2018 for the prestigious Longine’s Future Tennis Aces Tournament in Paris – an event reserved for the world’s top juniors Zach was also selected for a subsequent Australian Representative tour of Europe Representing Australia in the ITF Girls World Junior Team is Taylah Preston (13) and Jessie Culley (13) Having shared victory at the National 14s Teams Championships at last year’s December Showdown in Melbourne winning the 2018 National Grasscourt Doubles Championships together in Adelaide Taylah Preston brings to the team an exemplary and highly respected work ethic a signature quality that affords the young gun unrelenting momentum and success at tournaments boasting quarterfinal appearances across a number of national competitions including the 14/U National Championships held in December Taylah is also no stranger to international tours having being selected alongside some of the best juniors in the country to take part in the 13/U European Tennis Tour in August last year Jessie Culley became the 2017 Australian National Champion at the 12/U Australian Claycourt Championships and continued her winning form at the 2017 WA State Championships and Victorian Junior Championships Jessie’s impressive form resumed in 2018 as a quarterfinalist at the Australian Junior Grasscourt Championships and the 14/U Australian Championships held in December In continuing her remarkable start to 2019 Talia Gibson (14) was one of three girls selected for the ITF Junior Fed Cup Team a selection even more impressive when considering Talia is a year younger than her teammates After being crowed the 14/U National Champion at last year’s December Showdown in Melbourne who joined Taylah Preston and Jessie Culley in winning the 2018 14/U National Teams Championships One of Talia’s most impressive achievement to date is in making the quarterfinals of the ITF J1 Traralgon Junior International (18/U) in January where she beat top seeded and ranked players throughout the tournament and continued to assert her presence as one to watch on the junior circuit Talia’s first international tennis experience came in 2017 when she was selected on the Tennis Australia 13th Birth Year Tour that travelled around Germany for 4 weeks National Academy Manager Tom George says he and the Tennis West team are incredibly proud of the four WA juniors named in the representative teams noting that the appointment of WA’s Talent Development Manager Damien Ward as coach of the Boys World Junior Team highlights WA as a leading force in junior tennis “Having four of the twelve representative athletes named from WA is incredible and a true testament to the quality of junior players being produced here in WA each player will add enormous value to each of the teams they will represent” There’s no denying how fortunate we are to have such a high calibre coach on the ground here in WA” Mr George said Mr Michael Roberts said the national selections provide unprecedented confidence to all of those involved in the development of junior tennis in WA is that we’re on the right path in developing world class tennis players right here in WA” “From our grassroots activities aimed at increasing participation within schools and communities to investing in coach development and high performance training environments WA has become a dominant force across the national landscape of tennis” Mr Roberts said The ITF World Junior Teams and Fed Cup competitions require nations to win through zone qualifying in order to progress to the Final Australia will play off against 16 teams within the Asia/Oceanic region needing to finish in the top four to progress to the Final Finals are played out in four round robin groups before the top teams progress to the Quarterfinals where a knock-out competition decides the eventual Champion country The ITF World Junior Tennis competition was started by the ITF in 1991 12 nations were nominated to take part with Spain boys and Czechoslovakia girls emerging the overall winners The format changed in 1992 when regional qualifying events were introduced a system that is still used today with the top teams reaching the Finals but the following year they were moved to the clay court venue of TK Plus Centre in Prostejov A number of the past participants have gone on to become household names on the ATP and WTA tours Former winners in the boys’ event include Rafael Nadal Daniela Hantuchova and Vera Zvonareva have all appeared in the girls’ event ITF Junior Fed Cup and Junior Davis Cup History The International Team Competition for players aged 16 & under was launched by the ITF in 1985 as the “World Youth Cup” with NEC as the title sponsor between 1988 and 2001 In 2002 the ITF re-branded the boys competition as part of a new partnership with BNP Paribas to “Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas” The girls’ competition was also changed to “Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas” in 2005 From the competition’s inaugural year in 1985 when 44 nations took part in regional qualifying with the top 16 boys’ and 16 girls’ teams moving through to the Final in Kobe the competition has gone from strength to strength The number of participants has grown to around 100 nations each year 18 December 2018 | Tennis West Tennis West Competition and Tournaments Manager Cottesloe Tennis Club has been named as the host of the 2019 National Grasscourt Junior Championships The National Grasscourt Junior Championships is a prominent junior circuit tournament The event will attract the nation’s top 12/u and 14/u juniors with many travelling to Western Australia for up to four weeks as part of a swing of grass court tournaments that also includes the WA Junior Open at Dalkeith Tennis Club and the prestigious Bruce Cup National Title at Alexander Park Tennis Club WA players will be looking to continue their recent success at National events after a successful December Showdown campaign that has already produced four National Champions from WA including Derek Pham and Talia Gibson who took out the 14/U Singles Titles at the Australian Championships in Melbourne last week The WA 14/u Girls Team also took out the National 14s Teams Competition today at after defeating Japan in the Final WA has a talented crop of 12/U and 14/U players who will be keen to capitalize on the home ground advantage offered at Cottesloe Tennis Club Both Culley and Viiala have enjoyed success at Nationals events with the pair crowned 12/U National Claycourt Champions in 2017 Culley was also a quarter finalist at the 2018 Australian Grasscourt Championships in Adelaide Zach Viiala has had a huge year domestically and internationally and will look to continue his winning form in 2019 on home soil The number 1 player in Australia for his age group and was selected to represent Australia at the prestigious Longines Future Tennis Aces Tournament held in Paris says it’s important that young players be exposed to playing on different surfaces to ensure their competitiveness as they progress through the ranks “The faster ball that comes off a grass court requires increased concentration and agility Our young players will benefit greatly from playing in a national tournament on home turf” Hughes said Tennis Australia Tournament Development Manager Francis Soyer is looking forward to bringing the Grasscourt Championships to WA “This will be the first National Championship we have hosted in Western Australia since 2009 and we know Tennis West and the Cottesloe Tennis Club will help us put on a great event for everyone involved” Soyer said who will likely have a large cohort of junior players competing in the event are already preparing their courts for the tournament to ensure that they are in the best possible condition by October Ian Hutton is delighted that Cottesloe was chosen to host one of the country’s premier junior events “Cottesloe Tennis Club is thrilled to be chosen as the host venue for the upcoming Grasscourt Nationals Event” “Tournaments like these provide valuable competitive playing opportunities for our local juniors who would normally have to travel interstate for National Championship Events” Cottesloe is proud to play host to interstate visitors who will be able to enjoy playing on some of the best grass courts in Australia” Mr Hutton said The National Junior Championships are the pinnacle events of the Australian junior tournament calendar and have in the past been won by some of Australia’s best tennis players The 2019 National Grasscourt Championships will be held from 7-12 October 2019 at the Cottesloe Tennis Club Arina Rodionova is set to skyrocket up the rankings after winning back-to-back ITF titles in Great Britain Australia, 1 May 2023 | Leigh Rogers Australian players are shining on the world stage with many enjoying title-winning runs and making finals appearances at tournaments in the past week This includes Arina Rodionova and Kaylah McPhee who are making impressive progress in their respective returns from injury lay-offs as well as promising National Tennis Academy athletes Lily Fairclough The week’s most outstanding performers are … Aleksandar Vukic: The 27-year-old advanced to an ATP Challenger singles final in Seoul It is the seventh final of his career at this level and first since November Vukic also recorded his second top-100 win of the season defeating world No.90 Christopher Eubanks in the quarterfinals Max Purcell: The 25-year-old teamed with Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama to win an ATP Challenger doubles title in Seoul It is Purcell’s fourth doubles title of the season > READ: Max Purcell – “I’m pretty pumped with where I’m at right now” Arina Rodionova: The 33-year-old is on a 10-match winning streak having scooped back-to-back ITF25 singles titles in Nottingham This is the first time Rodionova has won consecutive ITF titles and takes her career tally to 12 who is currently ranked world No.293 after missing six months last year with a wrist injury Brandon Walkin: The 28-year-old finished runner-up in the singles competition at an ITF25 tournament in Jakarta and combined with fellow Aussie Matthew Romios to scoop the doubles title It is Walkin’s 14th career title and first this season Matthew Romios: The 24-year-old’s victory in Jakarta delivered Romios with an eighth career ITF doubles title and his second at ITF25 level Lisa Mays: The 22-year-old progressed to her first professional singles final finishing runner-up at an ITF15 tournament in Monastir Mays also teamed with compatriot Lily Fairclough to win the doubles crown It is Mays’ fourth career ITF doubles title Lily Fairclough: The 17-year-old teamed with Mays to win an ITF15 doubles title in Monastir It is Fairclough’s fourth ITF doubles title of the season (two in juniors and two on the pro tour) > READ: Lily Fairclough – A rising star of Australian tennis Edward Winter: The 18-year-old teamed with New Zealand’s Finn Reynolds to win an ITF15 doubles title in Tacarigua This is Winter’s third professional doubles title He was also a semifinalist in the singles competition won the doubles title at an ITF15 tournament in Telde alongside Switzerland’s Marie Mettraux It is McPhee’s fourth career title and first in four years She also advanced to her third career ITF singles final and first since August 2019 Zachary Viiala: The 17-year-old was in impressive form at an ITF J100 tournament in Canberra scooped the clay-court title without dropping a set > READ: Zachary Viiala – A rising star of Australian tennis Lily Taylor: The 16-year-old won her fifth career ITF junior singles title Taylor defeated fellow Aussie Ashlee Narker in the final Taylor also won the girls’ doubles title with fellow Aussie Sarah Rokusek