The first batch of the ITF Masters World Championships took place last month in Antalya, Turkey. It was the 30+ to 45+ age groups competing and Team Canada had representatives spread throughout the team and individual events.
While no Canadians brought home medals from this round of World Championships, there were still some solid results, particularly from the Canadian women.
Here is your monthly Masters tennis update.
Canada had five teams competing in the team event, one men’s team per age group (30+, 35+, 40+, and 45+) and one women’s team in the 30+ division. That women’s squad had the best result, finishing fifth.
Joanne Homza, Khristina Blajkevitch, Simmy Leung, and Carmen Lai swept Turkey and South Africa but lost 2-1 to the Americans, finishing second in Group C which was not enough to advance to the medal rounds. In the fourth-to-sixth playoff, they defeated Argentina 3-0 but lost 2-1 to Estonia, again finishing second in the group to finish fifth overall.
The men’s 30+ and 35+ teams each finished 11th. The 40+ squad finished 17th and the 45+ 14th.
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In the individual championships, a pair of Canadian women reached the quarter-finals of their respective age groups, which was the best result by a Canadian. 12 Canadians in total were participating.
Juliette Lorthios-Guilledroit reached the last eight in both singles and doubles alongside Hungary’s Livia Viola Ott in the women’s 30+ age group. Her singles campaign came to an end at the hands of top seed Alisa Danilova.
Lynette Li reached the 45+ women’s singles quarter-finals, where she lost to the eventual runner-up Mirja Wagner of Germany.
No Canadian men reached the quarter-finals of their respective draws. The next batch of World Championships is the 60+/65+/70+ which will take place in mid-May in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
ITF Tour
While Canada did not claim any hardware at the World Championships, two trophies from the ITF Tour did make their way back to the Great White North over the last month.
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At an MT200 event in Marbella, Spain, George Virich scored the men’s 50+ singles title. He won his first two matches without dropping a set before getting handed the trophy courtesy of a walkover in the final. The win is Virich’s fourth on the ITF Tour and he now has a title in Spain on clay for the second year in a row, having won an MT400 in Malaga last year.
On the other natural surface, grass, Andrea Wyndham-Adams won the 65+ women’s singles title at the MT400 in Belmont, Australia. Wyndham-Adams was the top seed and beat second-seeded Aussie Sara Goddard 6-4, 6-2 for the title. It is Wyndham-Adams' second title of the year, having won an MT100 in Glen Waverley, Australia, back in February.
This week, Vancouver plays host to the second ITF Masters Tour event on Canadian soil of 2025, the VLTBC Masters Indoor Tennis Championships. CLICK HERE for draws and results.
Feature Photo: Canadian Seniors Tennis
