Is there a particular reason our better known juniors aren't playing in this?
The under 14 events feature pretty much all the top ranked players in Europe available (Hannah Klugman announced in December that she wasn't playing any more under 14 events). In common with many other nations our under 16 teams are missing some of our stars - Hep and Oliver having opted to join the group for the Latin American hard court swing. Whereas Tennis Europe is the focus for under 14s, many top under 16s understandably prioritise ITFs. The Summer Cups are more important as they act as qualification for Junior Davis Cup / BJK Cup, so some of those missing will opt in for the Summer Cup
Our under 14 boys are just one match away from becoming the fifth British squad to win their Winter Cup (last was in 2012, featuring Jay Clarke, while Andy Murray was part of one of the other winning teams)
The Turkish number 1 again pushed Mark to the limit, but he prevailed to secure the second point
U14 SF
(3)GBR 2 (1)Turkey 1
Rhys Lawlor d. Samim Filiz 7-6(4) 6-1
Mark Ceban d. Kaan Isik Kosaner 5-7 6-1 7-6(3)
Lawlor/Nrshinga lost to Filiz / Ege Sik 6-7(3) 6-4 [7-10]
The under 16 girls are through to their semis after a 3-0 win, but the boys lost out and play for the minor places. The girls play Turkiye for a place in the finals - their number 1 won a J100 event last month.
U16 Girls QF
(2)GBR d. Poland 3-0
Abby Kelliher d. Amelia Paszun 6-2 6-4
Mika Stojsavljevic d. Antonina Czajka 7-5 6-4
Kelliher/Korpanec Davies d. Paszun/Wawrzkiewicz 6-4 6-4
SF
(3)Turkiye v (2)GBR
U16 Boys QF
(1)Romania 2 GBR 1
Rares Teodor Pieleanu d. Maximilian Carrier 6-1 6-4
Gabriel Ghetu d. Zechariah Hamrouni 7-5 2-6 6-2
Nourescu/Pieleanu lost to Attrill/Carrier 7-6(4) 3-6 [2-10]
Rhys gets the under 14 boys off to the perfect start with a 6-3 6-2 win over the Polish number 2. Mark is warming up for his match against the TE5 Jan Urbanski. The match is streamed here
Didn't see the first set but saw a fair bit of the second
I agree - not a great match - Mark was playing VERY tentatively - just trying to keep the ball in play really...
He won the second set 6-4
The result was never really in question, he made it hard for himself, but it's team tennis, he'll have had his coach probably telling him not to take too many risks, he didn't need to in order to win....
He did well in Les Petits As - narrowly losing out to the top seed.
He has the sort of game you can grow into too
I assume his dad is David Lawlor, LTA tennis coach?
Rhys has had a very impressive run including wins over much higher ranked boys, so it looks as if he should climb up the rankings quickly. Next up for him and Mark should be the Super Category event in Sweden in a week's time.
I don't know, but guess you are right about his dad, given they operate in the same county (Herts)
Congratulations to the team, seen here with trophies courtesy of captain Chris Wilkinson
The under 16 girls have also made their final It's an event which we have never won, but this is the third appearance in the final (the previous one was in 2015 with a squad including Jodie Burrage). It was a tight semi, with Mika being edged out by the aforementioned Turkish number 1, and Abby/Allegra squeaking home in a match tiebreak. Winning the final will be tough, against top seeds Czech Republic. Even without their A or B team they still have players doing very well in ITFs, confirming the depth of talent there.
U16 Girls SF
(3)Turkiye 1 (2)GBR 2
Nehir Dogan lost to Abby Kelliher 2-6 2-6
Deniz Dilek beat Mika Stojsavljevic 6-1 3-6 7-5
Dilek/Keles lost to Kelliher/Korpanec Davies 1-6 6-3 [6-10]
F
(1)Czech Republic v (2)GBR
The under 16 boys beat Italy 2-1 so play for 5th place tomorrow
Great battling performance from the team, with Mika becoming the first player to win a match against the Czechs this week, forcing the final to a deciding doubles
F
(1)Czech Republic v (2)GBR
currently 1-1
Eliska Forejtkova beat Abby Kelliher 7-6(3) 4-6 6-1
Julie Pastikova lost to Mika Stojsavljevic 6-2 4-6 3-6