June 5, 2019 - The second day of the WTA Croatia Bol Open was not the best day for Croatian tennis players. In the first match of the day on the central court of the Bluesun tennis center in Zlatni rat, Jana Fett lost 6:2, 6:2. Fett held it at 2:3 in the first set, though her opponent ultimately won the first set and proceeded to win the second. There was no security in Jana’s strikes and her Swiss opponent kept the ball safe, and without too much risk, came to the victory. 

The middle of the day was reserved for Lea Bošković, though her German opponent Anna-Lena Friedsam was better 6:4, 6:4. For the evening game which started at 20:30 on the central court of the Bluesun tennis center, Laura Siegmund defeated last year's semi-finalist Tena Lukas 6:2, 6:2.

"The ambience was perfect, but I played poorly. Laura did not do anything spectacular, she had some luck at some points, but I was not at my level and my service did not function as it should have,” Tena said.

And indeed, there were several double faults - in one game, three were counted!

The only remaining Croatian tennis player is Teresa Mrdeža who will play in the second round on Thursday against Siegmund who defeated Tena tonight: 

"I sincerely hope that Tereza will win against her. It will be a good match,” Tena concluded.

Slovenian Kaja Juvan had an excellent game and kicked off the tournament with a great victory over her fellow countrywoman Dalila Jakupovič 6:2, 6:0. Last year’s winner Tamara Zidanšek convincingly defeated Mandy Minella, the first winner of this tournament (2016). In yet another game between fellow countrywomen, Serbian player Aleksandra Krunić, the winner of Bol in 2017 defeated the Olga Danilović 7:6 (0), 6:2. 

DAY TWO

J. Fett (CRO) - S. Voegele (SUI) 2:6, 2:6

T. Zidanšek (SLO) -  M. Minella (LUX) 7:5, 6:2

A. Krunić (SRB) – Olga Danilović (SRB) 7:6 (0), 6:2

L. Siegemund (GER) - T. Lukas (CRO) 6:2, 6:2

K. Juvan (SLO) - D. Jakupovič (SLO) 6:2, 6:0

E. Gorgodze (GEO) - V. Flink (RUS) 3:6, 5:7

Y. Bonaventure (BEL) - P. Badosa Gibert (ESP) 6:3, 6:2

A. Friedsam (GER) - L. Bošković (CRO) 6:4, 6:4

You can read more about the tournament here. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

June 5, 2019 - The first day and first match of the WTA Croatia Bol Open on Bluesun's central court did not go in favor of the home fans. Namely, Jana Fett did not have her day or a real answer to the game of Swiss player Stefanie Voegele, who defeated Fett 6:2, 6:2 in just over an hour. 

Fett came to 3:2 in both sets, had some good plays in the match but did not manage to maintain continuity in the game. She made so many mistakes that Voegele began to anticipate them. 

“I did not feel well on the court. I do not know, it happens, that's normal in sports. I had a few good games and then the system broke down," Jana said after the match. She also knows that she did not show her opponent was she is capable of.

"It did not show much, I made a lot of mistakes and that ruled the game,” Jana concluded, expressing hope that her performance in doubles would be better. After Bol, Jana awaits the season on grass courts and her appearance in Manchester.

One of the younger tennis players to appear on Wednesday is Slovenian Kaja Juvan, who entered the tournament on a high, defeating her fellow countrywoman Dalila Jakupovič 6:2, 6:0. Otherwise, Kaja Juvan is 18 years old, the 131st best player in the world, and is already under the auspices of the Starwings agency (Donna Vekić, Stan Wawrinka, and even Borna Ćorić). However, this was not her first appearance in Bol.

"I was here twice on vacation for a tennis camp when I was young and then I played the ITF tournament Lukas organized before this and achieved my first professional win,” concluded Kaja, adding and that she would have no objection to winning her first career WTA title in Bol.

DAY TWO
J. Fett (CRO) - S. Voegele (SUI) 2:6, 2:6
K. Juvan (SLO) - D. Jakupovič (SLO) 6:2, 6:0

Y. Bonaventure (BEL) - P. Badosa Gibert (ESP) 6:3, 6:2

T. Zidanšek (SLO) -  M. Minella (LUX) 
A. Krunić (SRB) - Tamara Zidanšek (Slo)
L. Siegemund (GER) - T. Lukas (CRO)
E. Gorgodze (GEO) - V. Flink (RUS) 
A. Friedsam (GER) - L. Bošković (CRO) 

Find out more about the WTA Croatia Bol Open here. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

June 4, 2019 - Tennis has come home! Bol is a well known and acknowledged international tennis center, and on Tuesday the WTA Croatia Bol Open began on the courts of the Bluesun Tennis Center. The 125 series WTA tournament is the strongest yet, and it is particularly interesting that all three former winners, Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella, Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunić and Slovenia’s Tamara Zidanšek are back on Brač. Zidanšek and Minella will play each other at the start, and their duel is scheduled on Wednesday.

Tuesday, the first day of the tournament, already offered some exciting clashes and a closer look at several players that could go to the end of this year's competition. One of them is Slovakian Ana Karolina Schmiedlova who defeated Dutch player Bibiane Schoofs 6:1, 6:1. In the first round of Roland Garros, Scmiedlova faced the best female player in the world, Naomi Osaka. In the first set, she was up 6:0, though she lost in a tie break in the second, though overall it was a very close match. In Bol, however, she looks even better.

"I feel great here; this is my third time at the tournament. The tournament is wonderful and I believe that I can play well now. This was not my best game today, the result was good, but it was not that easy. At times it was very hot,” Schmiedlova said.

The night game on the Central Court, which was played from 20:30, featured Tereza Mrdeža who defeated Czech player Denisa Allertová 6:1, 6:0.

The interesting news of the night came from Tena Lukas, who will take the court in Bol on Wednesday. Namely, Marin Čilić has invited Lukas to the "Game, Set, Croatia" exhibition, which will be held in Zagreb on June 12th with a number of famous names like Luke Modrić and Ivan Rakitić. The revenue collected from the event is intended for the multifunctional sports ground of OŠ Tordinci.

1st Round

B. Schoofs (NED) - [4] A. Schmiedlova (SVK) 1:6, 1:6

A. Bogdan (ROU) vs [WC] M. Djakovic (SRB) 6:1, 6:3

[WC] A. Danilina (KAZ) vs [5] A. Sharma (AUS) 6:4, 2:6, 5:7
B. Haddad Maia (BRA) vs [2] S. Sorribes Tormo (ESP) 3:6, 4:6
A. Tatishvili (USA) vs [7] T. Bacsinszky (SUI) 2:6, 2:6
D. Allertova (CZE) vs T. Mrdeza (CRO) 1:6, 0:6
[6] J. Teichmann (SUI) vs I. Begu (ROU) 6:3, 6:1
V. Strakhova (UKR) vs N. Hibino (JPN) 3:6, 4:6

Doubles

Y. Bonaventure (BEL) / B. Schoofs (NED) vs D. Jakupovič (SLO) / T. Lukas (CRO) 6:4, 7:5
A. Bogdan (ROU) / C. Skamlova (SVK) vs [4] A. Danilina (KAZ) / Y. Sizikova (RUS) 4:6, 6:1, 10-6

L. Bošković (CRO) / M. Đaković (SRB) vs O. Danilović (SRB) / T. Zidanšek (SLO) 0:6, 0:6

You can read more about the tournament here. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

June 3, 2019 - An exciting draw at the Cocktail Bar Varadero in the center of Bol started the official program of the WTA Croatia Bol Open on Monday afternoon. 

"We want the tournament and tennis to live with the community, with Bol, that the whole town lives for tennis, and not that it only takes place on tennis courts that are far from the center of Bol,” said tournament director Feliks Lukas at the start.

The first-seed of this year's edition, last year's winner Tamara Zidanšek, was joined today by young Serbian player Olga Danilović and Croatia’s Jana Fett.

The draw began somewhat later than the previously announced 4:30 pm because at 4 pm, it was time to see which reported players are continuing their run at Roland Garros, explained supervisor Cristina Romero, the official WTA representative since the first edition of the tournament.

The first drawn pair is two winners of the Bol tournament, namely Zidanšek will play her first match against Mandy Minella from Luxemburg. Furthermore, Jana Fett awaits the winner of this match if she overcomes Switzerland's Stefanie Voegel.

The 2017 winner, Serbian player Aleksandra Krunić, will play against the young Danilović, while Slovenians, Kaja Juvan and Dalila Jakupović, will also play against each other.

Croatia’s Tena Lukas will measure power with Laurom Siegmund, Teresa Mrdeža will play against Czech player Denisa Allertová, and the young Ana Bošković awaits German Anna Lena Friedsman.

"The atmosphere is great, relaxed. The draw could be worse and better for me, but in the end, my result will depend mostly on my game,” said Jana Fett honestly at the end of the draw.

"The beginning of the year was not the best. I was in the top 100, but then there were some problems, I had injuries, and I hope I can get back closer to the top," Fett added.

Matches on the Bluesun tennis courts at Zlatni Rat start on Tuesday, June 4 at 1 pm. 

CROATIA BOL OPEN - BOL, CROATIA

$125,000

SCHEDULED MATCHES – TUESDAY, 04.06.2019

BLUESUN start at 13:00 

B. Schoofs (NED) vs [4] A. Schmiedlova (SVK) 

B. Haddad Maia (BRA) vs [2] S. Sorribes Tormo (ESP) 

A. Tatishvili (USA) vs [7] T. Bacsinszky (SUI) 

Not Before 20:30
D. Allertova (CZE) vs T. Mrdeza (CRO) 

KRAŠ start at 13:00 

[WC] A. Danilina (KAZ) vs [5] A. Sharma (AUS)
[6] J. Teichmann (SUI) vs I. Begu (ROU)
After Rest - Y. Bonaventure (BEL) / B. Schoofs (NED) vs D. Jakupovic (SLO) / T. Lukas (CRO)
After Rest - A. Bogdan (ROU) / C. Skamlova (SVK) vs [4] A. Danilina (KAZ) / Y. Sizikova (RUS) 

LUKAS start at 13:00
A. Bogdan (ROU) vs [WC] M. Djakovic (SRB)
V. Strakhova (UKR) vs N. Hibino (JPN)
After Rest - [WC] L. Boskovic (CRO) / M. Djakovic (SRB) vs O. Danilovic (SRB) / T. Zidansek (SLO) 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

June 3, 2019 - First class tennis returns to Brač with the 4th edition of the WTA Croatia Bol Open, which will run from June 3 to 9, 2019. Before Bol fully transforms into a haven for some of the world’s best up and coming female tennis players, TCN met with organizer Feliks Lukas about what we can expect at this year’s edition. 

We return to Bol this year for the 4th edition of the WTA Croatia Bol Open. What can we expect this year?

We try really hard every year to organize the tournament and make it better than it was in the previous year. This year I'm absolutely satisfied, because in sports terms, we have the best list of players to date, and as far as entertainment goes, we secured performances by big stars, so that our visitors can experience the perfect combination of the sun, sea, top-level tennis and entertainment when they come to the WTA Croatia Bol Open. 

How is this year’s tournament different than the last editions?

Like I said, the list of the players is the best yet, and we're very proud of that. The WTA Croatia Bol Open is becoming a matter of prestige; the players themselves are doing excellent marketing for us when talking to one another, they share their positive experiences from Bol and they want to participate in the tournament, and Bol is often a springboard for the girls who are working on getting into the Top 100 in the world. A lot of effort goes into organizing this tournament, and I'm extremely glad we managed to build an excellent image in the tennis world. 

As the biggest novelty for this year, I'd like to highlight that we'll start having nighttime matches, which will attract more viewers because it was often impossible to follow the matches in the strong June sun. Matches on the day of the first round will be played at 8:30 pm on the Central Court and Sunday's finale will start at 8:05 pm. 

You started the WTA Croatia Bol Open thanks to your passion for tennis and will to make something successful in a place like Croatia where so much seems impossible and is often an uphill battle. How has the tournament developed over the years? Are you happy with where it is now, or are you striving for more?

I don't believe it's easy to organize any sporting event, and especially an event of this scale, with all the rules and bylaws that the worldwide organization such as the WTA expects us to follow. The additional organizational challenge is the demanding process of negotiating with government institutions and advertisers. I'd be lying if I said we didn't have the support we need, I have to say that the Bol municipality, Croatian Tourist Board and Central State Office for Sport have recognized this project as an important sport, but also tourist event in Croatia. We also have numerous corporate sponsors, but it's still difficult to complete the financial package. It's a struggle that lasts all the way to April, sometimes even May, so we only have a month to organize the tournament, which is not enough time. Still, our tournament gets better each year, and I'm not giving up. I am still lead by a lot of enthusiasm, and the biggest motive for me are the positive experiences, first by the players, but also by the visitors. 

Once again, you’ve managed an impressive list of players for the 4th edition. Who is the most exciting up-and-coming talent to play in Bol this June?

Although she is not seeded, a serious contender for the title is Timea Bacsinszky. She was a top-ten player several years ago, but an injury stopped her and now she's making a come-back. I'd love to highlight Kaia Kanepi and Siegemund, who used to be top 15 and top 30 players. All three of the winners of the WTA Croatia Bol Open – Mandy Minella, Aleksandra Krunić and Tamara Zidanšek are also going to be at the tournament this year. 

Which of Croatia’s tennis representatives should we look out for on the courts in Bol this June?   

One of the aggravating factors for us is most certainly the week in which the tournament is played, which overlaps with the second week of Roland Garros, and no matter what, we always want our players to stay on the courts in Paris for as long as possible. This year we invited Tena Lukas, after she took full advantage of her invitation last year when she made it to the semi-finals with amazing support from the stands. Jana Fett, a very promising player who has the strength and quality required for a much better ranking than the one she has now.

 You’ve once again managed to couple excellent entertainment with tennis - can you tell us about the events we can look forward to in addition to the tennis this time around?  

Entertainment starts on Friday, June 7th, when our visitors will be able to enjoy the evening of klapa music, a concert by Klapa Šufit and Cambi. On June 8th, the star of the Saturday night in Bol will be Niki Belucci, who is performing at the Varadero Club. The finale of the tournament on Sunday starts at 8:05 pm and the fun at the Central Court will start an hour earlier when Nina Badrić will perform live for the WTA Croatia Bol Open crowd. The closing ceremony of the tournament will also be more lavish, as Lola Astanova, one of the world's best pianists will perform. She has intrigued the world, both with her talent and her attractive appearance. 

• How has the support for the tournament been this year? From Bol and Bluesun to HTZ and sponsors?  

I am extremely grateful to all our sponsors for their support. I'd especially like to highlight the Bol Municipality and its head, Tihomir Marinović, as well as the Bol Tourist Board who have been alongside us this entire time. Also, without the great support by the Bluesun group and Mr. Jako Andabaka, this tournament would not be possible. This year we received strong support by Central State Office for Sport, and, just like in previous years, Croatian Tourist Board. There are several sponsors from the business sector, Kraš, Atlantic Group, Jadrolinija, T-HT, HEP – and I'd like to thank all of them. The tournament keeps growing every year, but we need to make the next step in terms of finances and sponsors, as that would increase the quality of the tournament in the end. We still don't have the title sponsor, which would allow for a bigger sense of security. 

So, can we expect the ‘25th edition’ of WTA Croatia Bol Open in the future? Or do you have plans to create other successful sporting events on the horizon?  

We will keep up our efforts to make this the strongest regional sports event, and there are realistic chances that we'll be able to get the tournament to a higher level. WTA is prepared to support us as much as possible, so all we need to do is find strong sponsors who would also support us in that effort. 

For tickets to the WTA Croatia Bol Open, visit here. 

To learn more about Feliks Lukas, you can check out our interview with him last year ahead of the 3rd edition of the tournament. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

May 31, 2019 - The WTA Croatia Bol Open will be held from June 3 to 9, 2019.

Roger Federer needed the help of a sports psychologist to find his composure on-court before going on to win 20 Grand Slams. Simona Halep sought help and finally won her first Grand Slam. Andy Murray did the same and became a three-time Grand Slam Champion and world number one. Countless other players like Fabio Fognini, Carla Suarez Navarro, and Dominika Cibulkova have also spoken about the importance of working with professionals to improve their mental game. The United States Tennis Association even created a Sports Psychology division in order to improve player development from a young age. Training the mind in tennis has become as important as physical and technical training.

Join the organizers of the WTA Croatia Bol Open for a tennis mentality coaching session taught by world-renowned tennis coach and president of the Global Professional Tennis Coach Association (GPTCA) and International Sport Mental Coaching Association (ISMCA) Alberto Castellani. Known as the “mental maestro,” Castellani understands the evolving role and importance of quality tennis coaches and mental fitness, and how integral they are to a player’s success at every level of the game.

On Sunday, June 9, 2019, world-renowned tennis coach and president of the Global Professional Tennis Coach Association (GPTCA) and International Sport Mental Coaching Association (ISMCA) Alberto Castellani will host a tennis mentality-coaching seminar as part of the WTA Croatia Bol Open tennis tournament program.

Castellani, known as the “Mental Maestro,” plans to share his knowledge and wisdom of mentality coaching from a lifetime spent working in tennis, with less experienced coaches working with younger or up and coming players. The seminar is organized in partnership with Feliks Lukas, Tournament Director of the WTA 125K Series event in Bol.

Attendance is free. Participants will receive a course certificate of completion from the ISMCA along with a free ticket to the doubles and singles finals taking place on-site following the seminar. To attend the event, contact Tournament Organization, via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

You can find the full program for the seminar here. 

About Alberto Castellani

President of the World Organization of Professional Tennis Trainers Alberto Castellani has been a full-time professor at the University of Perugia Faculty of Kinesiology for 15 years where he teaches "Theories and Techniques of Teaching in Individual Sports”. Among other things, Castellani is an international ATP trainer with a diploma in tanning coaching at the State School for the educators in Rome, which operates under the Italian Tennis Federation (ITF) and is a member of the "Professional Tennis Association", the most relevant international organization for professional tennis coaches.

In the last 30 years, he has trained numerous ATP Top 100 players, including: Marc Rosset (career ATP #9), Janko Tipsarevic (career high ATP #8), Ivo Karlovic (career high ATP #14), Hicham Arazi (career high ATP #22), Karim Alami (career high ATP #25), Adrian Voinea (career high: ATP #36), Rainer Schuettler and many others.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

May 23, 2019 - At the Zagreb hotel Palace, a press conference was held with announcements about the upcoming WTA tournament on Bol, including the list of players participating this year. Tournament director Feliks Lukas, mayor of Bol Tihomir Marinković, head of the Sports Development Sector at the Central State Office for Sports Darko Vučić, and Dubravko Šimenc from the Croatian National Tourist Board head office addressed the media, including Croatian Fed Cup representatives Jana Fett, Tena Lukas, and Ana Konjuh.

"Judging by the list of players who announced their participation for the tournament in Bol, this year we are expecting a fierce battle on the tennis courts of the BlueSun tennis center at Zlatni Rat. The first seed is the 55th best player in the world, Daria Gavrilova, who two years ago won the premier title at the New Heaven tournament, and during her career has defeated big names such as Muguruzo, Ostapenko, and Petra Kvitova. Although not a top-seed, a serious candidate for the title is Timea Bacsinszky, a player who was a top 10 tennis player in the world a few years ago. She had great results from 2015 to 2017, when she defeated the world's best players and has won four WTA titles, though an injury halted her career. Now, however, she is back,” Lukas said, adding that Larsson is continually at the top of world tennis, and Kanepi and Siegmund are former top 15 and top 30 players in the world. Bol will also welcome Kristyna Pliskova, her sister Karolina, as well as all three winners of the WTA Croatia Bol Open - Mandy Minella, Aleksandra Krunić and Tamara Zidanšek.

Otherwise, the interesting story of the press conference was related to Timea Bacsinszky, who a few years ago was the main topic of sports and world media for her so-called "Cinderella story". Namely, from 2011 to 2013, when she gave up on her tennis career, she was employed at a hotel and asked her employer at the time for free days to qualify for Roland Garros. When she finally qualified, her career continued uphill - and the rest is history. 

The mayor of Bol Tihomir Marinković expressed his full support to the project on this occasion, saying that Bol was recognized by excellent sports conditions and thanked the sponsors and everyone who contributed to the WTA Croatia Bol Open this year, inviting everyone to come to Bol as the people of Bol will welcome them warmly. 

"By working with the WTA Croatia Bol Open, I have to admit that the organizers also make a significant contribution in showing new models of functioning sports events, as well as bringing sports closer to the general public. I hope that the program will not only inspire the people of Bol and Brač to get to the games each day, but all the others. I want to emphasize that through our programs, in cooperation with the tournament, we will encourage the youngest to be active in the sport,” said Darko Vučić in front of the Central State Sports Office, wishing luck to the organizers, and especially the tennis players present. 

On behalf of the HTZ headquarters, Dubravko Šimenc pointed out how our tennis players are lucky to have a tennis tournament in Croatia in the fantastic ambiance of Bol.

"In the project ‘Croatian Sports’, the Croatia WTA Bol is important because it is our goal once again to show the beauty of Brač and Bol to the public. The unique beauty of Bol, safety and especially hospitality are appealing to every visitor, and I remind everyone that Bol is not far away, and it is a privilege to be able to support our girls in such an environment,” said Šimenc.

Although she cannot compete in the tournament due to an injury, Ana Konjuh thanked Lukas, who continued to promote women's tennis and women's sports. 

"It is a special feeling to play in front of the Croatian crowd and it is very important to have a WTA tournament in Croatia, so I would like to thank the companies and sponsors who invest in sports and tennis," Konjuh said.

Jana Fett is also optimistic before the start of the tournament: “Last week I finally came to a victory, and I'm playing well. It will be my first appearance in Bol and I hope to have great games and a great tournament,” she said.

"I expect the best possible placement and that I will reach the final this year," Tena Lukas added, stressing that she was ready to play and could not wait for the tournament to begin.

With the announcement of Croatian tennis players, we hope at least one Croatian representative makes it to the final.

This year, there will also be evening games in Bol. Thus, first-round games will be played from 20:30 on the Central court, and from 20:05, the Sunday final will be played with a direct transfer to HRT2. The program on the Central court will begin on Sunday night an hour before the final with a concert by Nina Badrić. The closing ceremony will also feature top pianist Lola Astanova, one of the best pianists in the world.

Tickets will also be available online this year at www.ticketshop.hr

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

The young Slovenian tennis player has taken her first WTA title! 

The final of the WTA Croatia Bol Open will be held today at 18:00. 

Linette and Zidanšek will play in the WTA Croatia Bol Open final on Sunday.