Alberta’s top junior tennis players are about to head to indoor nationals to see how they size up against Canada’s best. Over the next few weeks (March 22-April 5), the U12, U14, U16, and U18 nationals will be held in Calgary, Vancouver, Verdun (QC), and Markham (ON) respectively. Our junior players practice for these national tournaments all year. The time is now to show their Alberta skills to the rest of Canada!
As of today Alberta has four players currently ranked in the top 10 in Canada, going to nationals. They are: Mia Kupres (U16), Martyna Ostrzygalo (U14), Sara Kostic (U12), and Adam FaragCao (U12). Last year we had just one player in the national top ten at the beginning of February, 2018.
Let’s take a look at our Alberta junior national teams, 2019.
Alberta Boasts Two U12 Players in the National Top Ten
Sara Kostic is currently ranked an impressive 3rd in Canada in the U12 division. Recently ranked even higher at #1, Sara has an excellent chance of making the national finals. At recent provincials she earned a comfortable first place in singles and also in doubles with partner Waverly Potter. Waverly will take the national stage for the second year in a row as a U12 team member. (See more results of the provincial U12 and U16 tournaments).
Madelynn Ludwig and Sophie Stanton are also well-positioned to make their mark, with current national rankings of 12th and 14th respectively. When team scores are added at nationals, the Alberta Girls U12 Team has a good chance of making the top three in Canada with this team.
On the boys side, this is the second year that Adam FaragCao has won Alberta’s indoor provincial U12 tournament, and his second time at nationals as a U12 player. Last year he was ranked 27th in Canada around this time of year. And this year he has moved up to number 10 in Canada. This could be his breakthrough year at the national level. He took first place relatively easily in recent provincials, in both singles and doubles with partner Enoch Lin. Adam is also playing at the nationals on Alberta’s U14 provincial team.
Lucas Poirier joins the boys U12 provincial team as the only player not from Calgary or Edmonton, the pride of Red Deer.
Photo below: Sara Kostic, off to nationals, ranked 3rd in Canada, U12
U12 Nationals will be held March 22-29 in Alberta, at The Tennis Academy in Calgary. Led by coach Adam Bond from the Osten & Victor Alberta Tennis Centre in Calgary, Alberta’s 2019 U12 team members are:
- Sara Kostic, World Health Edgemont, Calgary
- Madelynn Ludwig, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Sophie Stanton, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Waverly Potter, Alberta Tennis Centre, Calgary
- Ava Degrand, Alberta Tennis Centre, Calgary
- Adam FaragCao, World Health Edgemont, Calgary
- Maksim Gluic, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Enoch Lin, The Tennis Academy, Calgary
- Lucas Poirier, Alberta Tennis Centre in Calgary, Red Deer Tennis Centre
Coach Adam Bond had this to say about this year’s nationals:
I’m really excited about the prospects of Team Alberta at this year’s Nationals. I think both as a team and individually they can do very well. The depth of tennis in Alberta is continuing to grow, much the same as tennis in Canada is doing on the international scene. With Adam FaragCao and Sara Kostic both winning provincials they have set themselves up very well going into Nationals. (Adam Bond, Tennis Alberta High Performance U12 Provincial Coach, Head Tennis Professional at the |Osten & Victor Alberta Tennis Centre)
Alberta’s U14 National Team Is Led By Martyna Ostrzygalo
Martyna Ostrzygalo leads Alberta’s U14 team. Martyna is currently ranked 3rd in Canada in the U14 division. Last year she was U14 runner up at indoor nationals, second to her team mate Mia Kupres. Martyna has been playing level 5 Junior ITF tournaments over the past few months, including one in Poland and others in Ontario and British Columbia. She was runner up at the ACE Tennis U18 Canadian World Ranking Event held in Ontario last November.
Team mates Alexia Jacobs, Aurora Pedwell, and Gianna Oboniye are nationally ranked 13th, 27th, and 24th respectively. Gianna was last year’s provincial U12 champion and all of these U14 players have international competitive experience going into the U14 indoor nationals.
Photo below: Martyna Ostrzygalo at the 2019 Alberta indoor provincials. Don Voaklander photography
The boys U14 provincial team includes two Calgary and two Edmonton players from four different clubs–Chetanna Amadike and Adam FaragCao from Calgary, and Kaetan Mehta and Mac Kim from Edmonton. Chetanna Amadike holds the highest current national ranking at #36.
U14 Nationals are March 30-April 5 at the UBC Tennis Centre in Vancouver, BC. Led by Coach Marc Colangeli, Alberta’s U14 provincial team members are:
- Martyna Ostrzygalo, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Alexia Jacobs, Alberta Tennis Centre, Calgary
- Aurora Pedwell, The Tennis Academy, Calgary
- Gianna Oboniye, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Nawal Youssef, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton (Tennis Canada Development Spot)
- Klara Merrick, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Chetanna Amadike, Tennis Academy, Calgary
- Adam FaragCao, World Health Edgemont, Calgary
- Kaetan Mehta, Royal Glenora Club, Edmonton
- Mac Kim, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
See more results for the provincial U14 and U18 tournaments.
Mia Kupres, U16, Is Ranked #2 in Canada
Mia Kupres is last year’s U14 national winner, both indoor and outdoor titles. This was an amazing and rare accomplishment in the junior realm. This year she moves up to the U16 category as a 15-year old. Already, she has climbed to the #2 ranked in Canada.
Mia recently won her first ITF Level 4 event in Mexico, and has been training for nationals at her home base, the Saville Tennis Centre with Coach Carson Bell to prepare for nationals. She is joined by team mates Alexandra Jewitt (30th national ranking) and Hailey Murphy (84th national ranking). Alexandra is the recent winner of the first Alberta Junior Indoor Open held at the Tennis Academy in Calgary.
Joshua Oboniye leads the boys U16 team into nationals. Currently ranked 28th nationally, Joshua represented Alberta at last year’s nationals as the provincial U14 champion. Joshua will also play in the U18 category. He is joined on the U16 team by longtime Alberta teammate Tyler Waddock, as well as Arthur McCarthy and Arhsjot Bhatti from The Tennis Academy in Calgary.
This is Coach Josh Sundwall’s first time as a national coach. His U16 players are:
- Mia Kupres, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Alexandra Jewitt, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Hailey Murphy, Alberta Tennis Centre, Calgary
- Joshua Oboniye, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Tyler Waddock, Alberta Tennis Centre, Calgary
- Arthur McCarthy, The Tennis Academy, Calgary
- Arhsjot Bhatti, The Tennis Academy, Calgary
U16 Nationals are March 22 – 27 at the Club de tennis ile des Soeurs in Verdun, QC.
The U18s Will Gain National Experience
Jordan Sluchinski will coach the U18 team, his first time as a junior national coach. Hana Gamracy is the highest ranked U18 team member at #40 national ranking. The U18 team will gain valuable national experience as they approach the end of their junior tennis careers and begin to consider options for college.
Alberta’s U18 team members are:
- Hana Gamracy, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Alexandra Jewitt, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Grace Bell, Alberta Tennis Centre, Calgary
- Emily Niers, The Tennis Academy, Calgary
- Joshua Oboniye, Saville Tennis Centre, Edmonton
- Tyler Sinclair, The Tennis Academy, Calgary
- Liam Spiers, The Tennis Academy, Calgary
- Goran Vukovic, Alberta Tennis Centre, Calgary
U18 Nationals are March 31 – April 5 at Mayfair East in Markham, Ont.
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Kristina Sanjevic, the Technical Manager of High Performance and Junior Development at Tennis Alberta, had this to say:
We have a lot of successful athletes representing Tennis Alberta in 2019 – joining the team are past national champions and athletes who have competed and achieved great results in international tournaments. I look forward to indoor nationals this year as our athletes have trained hard and stayed focused. Best of luck to everyone, Go Team Alberta!
To check on the results of each national tournament as it unfolds, go here.
Arthur Ashe quote:
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.
Contact me with ideas, comments or suggestions at: susan.wells@tennisalberta.com
