Teenage stars Sonobe and Jovic win W100 titles
It was a sensational week for two rising stars on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
17 year-olds Wakana Sonobe and Iva Jovic both claimed W100 titles at Tokyo and Charlottesville, making it the first time that two teenagers have won $100,000-level titles in the same week of competition since ITF World Tennis Tour records began in 1994.
Sonobe, this year's Australian Open Girls champion, had never won a title at professional level before she played W100 Tokyo last week. The Japanese star then produced an exceptional run, defeating compatriot Ena Shibahara 6-4 6-7 6-3 in the final.
Winning the highest level of tournament on the ITF World Tennis Tour at such a young age shows that she may well be destined for great things in this sport. Typically it can take a while to adjust from the Junior circuit to tour life, but Sonobe has hit the ground running straight away after winning a junior Grand Slam title.
Now a title winner at professional level and a match winner on the WTA Tour, the only way is up for the 17 year-old sensation.
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Elsewhere, 17 year-old star Iva Jovic triumphed at W100 Charlottesville. Despite her age, this was the American's fourth title at professional level and the biggest of her young career. It was also her first title on clay at any level.
It was some run from Jovic too, beating the likes of Claire Liu, Cate McNally, Whitney Osuigwe and Laura Pigosi before sweeping past Irina Maria Bara 6-0 6-1 in the final. If she's defeating opponents of this calibre already, it's fascinating to imagine the impact she could have on the WTA Tour in the coming years.
The young American is already building a high-quality resume, and the excitement around her future will only have grown tenfold after this tournament win.
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Meanwhile, Yue Yuan also had a brilliant week with her victory at W100 Oeiras. Yuan has had an incredibly difficult season so far, managing just one win all year prior to last week.
This felt like a triumphant return to form for the Chinese 26 year-old, who came through a tough three-set battle in the final with top seed Greet Minnen to reign supreme in Portugal. This much-needed tournament win will hopefully give Yuan the confidence she needs to kick on for the rest of the season.
For the latest results on the ITF World Tennis Tour, click here.