Canada will be sending four teams to the ITF World Junior Tennis team event Finals later this year after the U14 girls, U14 boys, U16 Billie Jean King Cup Juniors, and U16 Davis Cup Juniors all advanced out of the North and Central America and Caribbean qualifying round this week at IGA Stadium in Montreal.
Heading into the final day of play, the four Canadian teams needed varying degrees of results and help from other teams but they executed to perfection, all winning their ties on Friday to clinch their spots. Every Canadian team won 3-0, none of them dropping a single set.
All four teams got off to a lightning-fast start to the day. In their opening singles matches, the Canadians lost a combined five games, handing out six bagel sets.
Elicia Lin. Photo : David Kirouac
The U16 girls team was the first to officially clinch their spot courtesy of a 6-0, 6-3 win for Elicia Lin in the opening match of their tie with Mexico. Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup Juniors squad came in needing just one match win in their final tie after winning the first two, including their massive upset of the United States on Thursday.
While their spot at the Finals in Santiago, Chile, was already assured, Charlize Celebrini ensured that Canada would finish atop the group by winning the second singles 7-5, 6-1 to seal the tie. Lin and Laurence Demers then closed out the sweep with a 6-2, 6-3 doubles win. The Canadians finished 3-0 overall on the week.
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Both boys teams raced out of the gate, with Caden Colburne (U16) and Deniz Karabulut (U14) both delivering double bagels in under 45 minutes to give the U16 and U14 squads quick leads over Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, respectively. Colburne and Karabulut were each playing their first singles matches of the week.
Caden Colburne. Photo : David Kirouac
Joshua Adamson got the job done for the U16 boys, winning the second singles match 6-1, 6-4, to clinch the tie against Guatemala. Combined with Mexico’s loss to the United States, that sealed the boys’ place in November’s Davis Cup Juniors Finals. Colburne and Antoine Généreux won the doubles 6-1, 6-2 to finish off the week in style.
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Minutes after Adamson finished it off for the U16s, Alden Yu did the same for the U14s, winning his singles match 6-3, 6-2 to wrap up the win for Canada over the Dominican Republic and punch their ticket to the Finals in August in Projestov, Czechia. For good measure, Karabulut and Ilia Sherifali took the doubles 7-5, 6-1.
Heading into the final day, the only Canadian team that absolutely needed to win their tie was the U14 girls. Tessa Puente got them off to a perfect start in their tie with Mexico, bouncing back from a loss on Thursday with a 6-0, 6-2 win.
Isabella Ruyu Yan. Photo : David Kirouac
Amy Shen came out for the second singles looking to punch Canada’s ticket to Projestov. She had a tight first set but once the Canadian got rolling, she cruised to the finish line, clinching the tie for Canada with a 6-3, 6-0 win. Puente and Isabella Ruyu Yan then sealed the host’s perfect day with a 6-1, 6-3 doubles victory.
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Last year, only two of Canada’s four teams made it through the regional qualifying. The U14 World Junior Tennis Finals will take place Aug. 4-9, while the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors and Davis Cup Juniors Finals will be Nov. 3-9.
Feature Photo : David Kirouac
