The local young talents are asserting themselves in France against the strong European competition.
Babolat makes it possible! As U12 winners at the Austria-wide Masters of the Three Youth Circuits presented by Babolat (October 17th to 20th, 2024 in the Sportaktivpark Bad Waltersdorf), Luca Sageder and Marie Schmidhofer were able to take part in the international final of the Babolat Cup in Lyon last week. But that’s not all: the two Upper Austrian hopes for the future performed very well in the All in Academy in France’s third largest city and each won the tournament in a confident manner. “A top performance from both of them. “That speaks for the very good level of performance at the Three Youth Circuit presented by Babolat,” said Bastian Postler, Country Manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland at Babolat. The renowned French sporting goods manufacturer is now making even more possible for Sageder and Schmidhofer: As a reward for their successes, the two champions can look forward to an exclusive training week at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, which was offered to the winner. Another big highlight for the kids were the encounters with four Babolat top stars: Austria’s figurehead Dominic Thiem, who retired this year, the French crowd favorite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, as well as current wheelchair tennis professional Niels Vink (also from the Netherlands). Number two in the world in quads.
Melzer: “That makes us as the Austrian Tennis Association very proud”
At the event, which took place from Friday to Sunday, the Youth Circuit U12 winners from six other top tennis nations (Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Spain) took part, against whom Sageder and Schmidhofer performed in an impressive way were able to claim. Sageder only lost a total of five games in his three group matches and then made short work of the Spaniard Pablo Garrido Gracia in the semi-finals 6:2, 6:2 against the French Leonis Boudjema and in the final 6:3, 6:0 . After two 6:1, 6:0 victories in her third group game, Schmidhofer was challenged to beat Mila Angrave 6:4, 6:3, but not in the title fight, where she met the Brit again – and this time with a 6: 1, 6:1 had the better end. Previously, she had given the Spanish Ainhoa Barbera Llacer the maximum penalty of 6-0, 6-0 in the semi-final. ÖTV sports director and Davis Cup captain Jürgen Melzer was also pleased by the great news of success from Lyon: “First of all, I’m very happy that Babolat has basically adopted us into his family through the Three Youth Circuit presented by Babolat – and this makes it possible has made it so that our winners can take part in the final, which is very cool. The fact that our two representatives win is of course extremely cool. This is a great success – and makes us as the Austrian Tennis Association very proud.” After all, great careers have already begun in the Babolat Cup. None other than Carlos Alcaraz won the final tournament in 2017.
Sageder and Schmidhofer “undoubtedly two of our greatest talents at the moment”
Melzer had just visited Upper Austria’s youngsters on December 5th in Linz as part of “Jürgen on Tour” – and was also on the court with Sageder and Schmidhofer. “The two of them are undoubtedly two of our greatest talents at the moment,” said the Lower Austrian, describing his positive impressions. “Both work extremely professionally and are definitely more advanced in their minds than some others for their age, and that is obviously reflected in the results.” The way up is still a long way, but all the basic requirements for a successful professional career are there certainly given to the red-white-red youngsters. Both are now training in the OÖTV performance center under head coach Jürgen Waber, Sageder with Tomas Visek as his personal trainer, who also looked after him and Schmidhofer in Lyon.
Here are some impressions from the final of the Babolat Cup in Lyon:
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Marie Schmidhofer (kneeling, 3rd from right) and Luca Sageder (kneeling, far right) were in the middle of it all in Lyon instead of just there. Back from left to right: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Botic van de Zandschulp, Éric Babolat (CEO of Babolat), Angélique Cauchy (founder of the “Rebond” association for the protection of minors in sport), Dominic Thiem.
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The center court of the All In Academy.
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Schmidhofer and Sageder got to know some tennis stars up close and secured autographs from them.
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For example by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (3rd from left), …
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