Alberta juniors achieved more great results at the U12, U14, and U16 Outdoor Junior Nationals, building on Mia Kupres’ win at the U18s earlier this month.
At the week-long U12 Outdoor Junior Nationals held in Laval, Quebec, August 17-23, Sara Kostic was the U12 singles champion and third in doubles (partnering with Waverly Potter). Not to be outdone by his teammate, Adam Faragcao was the U12 doubles champion (with Edward Kruppe), and finished second in singles. These two young players, both from Calgary, Alberta, are now ranked #1 in Canada in the Rogers Rankings for singles. Faragcao is also ranked #1 in Canada for doubles (Kostic is #3 in doubles). Both of these top Canadian junior tennis players train with Adrian Court at the World Health Organization in Calgary.
Coach of the U12 Alberta team, Adam Bond (Alberta Tennis Centre), described the 2019 national U12 team:
“The strength in this team lies in the uncompromising determination and belief that they show. The whole team was a pleasure to work with. I think having two young athletes in Adam and Sara holding the number one ranking is a sign that Alberta can develop tennis players of a high level. However, it is early days in their development and there is still much to do. But for anyone out there wanting to get involved with tennis, now is a great time in Canada to do so, and particularly in Alberta.” (Coach Adam Bond)
U14 and U16 Results
In the U14s, Nawal Youssef placed 3/4 in doubles with partner Madison Lee. Gianna Oboniye won Flight #1 (9th place), including wins over the #5 and #9 seeds. And Aurora Pedwell won Flight #3.
In the U16s, Hana Gamracy had a personal best with a fourth place finish, including a win over the #3 seed.
(Photo above: Sara Kostic, U12 Outdoor Junior National Champion, 2019, third in doubles. Below: Adam Faragcao, U12 Outdoor Junior National Doubles Champion, Runner Up in Singles. Photo credit: Peter Wyslouzil, Le Photo Shoppe. More photos here.)
U12 Highlights
Sara Kostic played 7 singles and 3 doubles matches over the 7-day tournament. Seeded #2, she won all her singles matches in two sets. In the final against the #1 seed, Emma si yu Dong, Kostic sprinted across the finish line with a 6-2, 6-2 victory, staking her claim as Canada’s #1 in the 12-year old girls rankings.
Adam Faragcao was seeded third in singles and fifth in doubles. He battled through one three-set match on his way to the final in singles, coming back from a first set loss at 6-2, then taking the next two sets 6-1, 6-1. In the singles final he faced the unseeded Hans Deng, losing in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. His path to the doubles win featured four sets. This included a close win over the #1 seeds with a 4-6, 7-5, 5-10 victory (with partner Edward Kruppe).
Alberta juniors now hold both girls and boys #1 rankings in the U12 division for Canada. Sara Kostic is ranked #1 U12 Girls Singles. And Adam Faragcao is ranked #1 in both singles and doubles, Boys U12. What a fantastic achievement for tennis in Alberta!
Kristina Sanjevic, Technical Manager, High Performance and Junior Player Development with Tennis Alberta, commented on this unprecedented (as far as we know) achievement in the history of Alberta tennis:
“Tennis Alberta is very proud that our players currently hold the #1 spot in Canada in both the boys and girls U12 division. This is very inspiring for our new generation coming up from U10s. Both Sara and Adam have worked hard to achieve their goals this year. We wish them the best of luck for the indoor season. Go Alberta!”
Alberta’s U12 Outdoor National Team
The Alberta U12 Outdoor National 2019 team was led by Coach Adam Bond from Calgary (Alberta Tennis Centre). Team members were:
- Girls: Sara Kostic (World Health), Waverly Potter (Alberta Tennis Centre, came 7th overall), Madelynn Ludwig (Saville Tennis Centre), Sophie Stanton (Saville, came 11th overall).
- Boys: Adam Faragcao (World Health), Lucas Poirier (Alberta Tennis Centre), Charles Flaman (Glencoe Club), Maksim Gluic (Saville).
(Photos below: Adam Faragcao with doubles partner Edward Kruppe, and Sara Kostic receive their first place awards at the 2019 Junior Outdoor Nationals. Photo credit: Peter Wyslouzil, Le Photo Shoppe).
Read more about the U12 results.
The U14 Alberta 2019 Junior Outdoor Nationals Team
Coach Marc Colangeli from Calgary (Tennis Academy) led the Alberta U14 team. Team members were:
- Girls: Nawal Youssef (Alberta Tennis Centre), Gianna Oboniye (Saville), Aurora Pedwell (Tennis Academy), Sara Kostic (World Health).
- Boys: Kaetan Mehta (Royal Glenora), Chetanna Amadike (Tennis Academy), James Holt (Saville), Kai Baerg (Saville).
For more results, click here.
The U16 Alberta 2019 Junior Outdoor National Nationals Team
The Alberta U16 team included Coach Josh Sundwall from Edmonton (Saville Tennis Centre) and team members:
- Girls: Hana Gamracy (Saville), Hailey Murphy (ATC).
- Boys: Arthur McCarthy (Tennis Academy), Evan Holt (Saville), Tyler Waddock (Alberta Tennis Centre).
For more results, click here.
Congratulations to all of the juniors who participated at the national level. And congratulations to all of the coaches and families who supported the development of these impressive young athletes to the national level of competition.
Idea for a story, or would you like to write one? Contact me at: susan.wells@tennisalberta.com
