There is an important Tennis Europe Category 1 event (roughly equivalent to an ITF Grade 1) in France this week for the 14Us.
Spotlight in the girls will be on the very instagram-oriented Ksenia Eframova (RUS)
However, GB's Tara Lawal has come through qualis and, this morning, won her first round match pretty easily
What with Winter Cup etc though, I guess the top GB players have chosen to give it a miss (as have those who are already more ITF players and have left Tennis Europe behind)
Most of the top under 14s are focused on the Super Category (equivalent to ITF Grade A) event next week in Sweden, which has 8 top 10 boys and 7 girls. Mark Ceban and Rhys Lawlor are still on the entry list there, but I see that Hollie Smart has withdrawn
The Open Auray 12U event is the tip-top tournament for 12Us.
Many of the top players now first made their mark at this event
Megan Knight is a super prospect for the UK (not quite Hannah's league but a real talent - she's been mentioned before on our nationals pages - she won the GB nationals a year early - I really like her)
She's made the QFs here so far.
Liv Zingg made the last 16. Dasha Jones lost in R1
In the boys, Zak Kirnon also made the last 16. Sam Riley lost the round before. And Harry Swain lost in round 1
Megan has made it into the semis at the Open Super 12 Auray
Remember, this is an event that launched Andy, and Rafa, and Felix etc etc (Hannah Klugman also won it - a year early, I think - and she's doing pretty well )
I appreciate that 12 year-old tennis is not everyone's cup of tea () but our Megan Knight is currently playing her semi at the Super Open 12 Auray and it's livetreamed here:
Her Latvian opponent won the big Boulogne-Billacourt event in December - she's a tiddler - puts everything back and finds some very nice angles - but has a doddy serve (even for a 12 year-old) and no real pace on the ball
Megan has a more aggressive game, better serve, more pace - but it's difficult to win a point
The first set was fair - Megan lost a tight game and then lost her way - let it get to her
The second set was a shame
She was 4-2 up, playing well and - again - a couple of VERY tight games where she has the upper hand but poor shot selection was largely to blame (her fault, of course, that's not unlucky) gave those games to the Latvian girl, who was having a bit of a wobble, who then got her mojo back
Shot selection needs work. And forehand technique in general (she slaps slightly at the short cross one and doesn't get her feet right for the down the line). Shame she isn't confident taking the ball out of the air - she tries and it's not far off but you can see her palpably tightening up.
But she has a lot of tennis in her - a lot of room for progress and you sort of feel it will come (well, I do )