Tin-Tin Ho and Emily Bolton just fell at the last hurdle after storming through to the Junior Girls’ Doubles final at the Italian Youth Open in Lignano.
Seeded seventh, they defeated third seeds Izabela Lupulesku of Serbia & Veronica Mosconi of Italy in five games in the last four to set up a final against eighth seeds Tijana Jokic & Dragana Vignjevic of Serbia.
And although they came back from 2-1 down to force a decider, it was not to be for the girls as they missed out 11-6 in the last.
It was nearly a double final appearance for 17-year-old Ho, who got to the semi-finals of the singles. Seeded third, she faced top seed Miyuu Kihara of Japan in the last four but was beaten in four straight by an opponent ranked No 20 on the world Under-18 list – seven places above Ho.
Kihara had earlier ended the run of Bolton in the last 32, while Kate Cheer reached the last 64.
In the boys’ events, fifth seed Tom Jarvis lost a close quarter-final to fourth seed Andrei Putuntica of Macedonia. Luke Savill reached the last 64 and Alex Ramsden was eliminated in the group stage.
Results
Junior Boys’ Singles
Qualifying Group 13
Cedric Meissner (GER) bt Alex Ramsden 3-1 (8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5)
Maksim Grebnev (RUS) bt Ramsden 3-1 (11-7, 10-12, 13-11, 11-7)
Andrin Melliger (SUI) bt Ramsden 3-2 (11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9)
Group 17
Luke Savill bt Cedric Tschanz (SUI) w/o
Savill bt Dragos Florin Oprea (ROM) 3-2 (4-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-5)
Savill bt Matteo Gualdi (ITA) 3-2 (11-8, 4-11, 9-11, 13-11, 11-6)
Round of 64
Adam Brat (SVK) bt Savill 4-1 (11-7, 1-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8)
Tom Jarvis bt Marc Gutierrez (ESP) 4-1 (11-5, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5)
Round of 32
Jarvis bt Laurens Devos (BEL) 4-3 (11-9, 9-11, 8-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7)
Round of 16
Jarvis bt Abdullah Yigenler (TUR) 4-1 (11-9, 13-11, 11-3, 7-11, 12-10)
Quarter-finals
Andrei Putuntica (MDA) bt Jarvis 4-1 (10-12, 11-5, 11-9, 21-19, 16-14)
Junior Girls’ Singles
Qualifying Group 1
Caroline Hajok (GER) bt Emily Bolton 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-6)
Bolton bt Giulia Ciferni (ITA) w/o
Bolton bt Anita Drabant (HUN) 3-2 (13-11, 11-8, 7-11, 8-11, 11-9)
Group 2
Kate Cheer bt Wiktoria Wrzosek (POL) 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-9)
Sabina Surjan (SRB) bt Cheer 3-0 (11-9, 11-1, 11-4)
Cheer bt Kitti Korda (HUN) 3-2 (11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 7-11, 11-8)
Round of 64
Bolton bt Simona Horvathova (SVK) 4-3 (11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 6-11, 4-11, 11-4, 11-6)
Julia Bartoszek (POL) bt Cheer 4-3 (8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-5)
Round of 32
Miyuu Kihara (JPN) bt Bolton 4-0 (11-8, 12-10, 11-5, 11-5)
Tin-Tin Ho bt Ema Marn (CRO) 4-3 (6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-5
Round of 16
Ho bt Leonie Hartbrich (HUN) 4-2 (11-9, 11-8, 12-14, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4)
Quarter-finals
Ho bt Tania Plaian (ROM) 4-2 (14-16, 10-12, 11-5, 11-7, 16-14, 11-6)
Semi-finals
Miyuu Kihara bt Ho 4-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-4, 11-9)
Junior Boys’ Doubles
Round of 64
Dimitrije Levajac (SRB) & Artem Tikhonov (RUS) bt Alex Ramsden & Zihni Sahin (TUR) 3-1 (11-7, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8)
Round of 32
Levajac & Tikhonov bt Tom Jarvis & Luke Savill 3-2 (5-11, 11-8, 12-10, 6-11, 11-6)
Junior Girls’ Doubles
Round of 32
Fatma Aykutlu & Gul Pembe Ozkaya (TUR) bt Kate Cheer & Betul Nur Kahraman (TUR) 3-1 (13-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8).
Emily Bolton & Tin-Tin Ho bt Vlada Caraulnaia (MDA) & Natalia Malinina (RUS) 3-2 (8-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 14-12)
Round of 16
Bolton & Ho bt Kitti Korda (HUN) & Maki Shiomi (JPN) 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 14-12)
Quarter-finals
Bolton & Ho bt Klara Cakol (CRO) & Tamara Pavcnik (SLO) 3-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 12-10)
Semi-finals
Bolton & Ho bt Izabela Lupulesku (SRB) & Verconica Mosconi (ITA) 3-2 (6-11, 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6)
Final
Tijana Jokic & Dragana Vignjevic (SRB) bt Bolton & Ho 3-2 (8-11, 11-4, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6)