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22 ITFWorld // WINTER 2018 Y O U T H O LY M P I C S The second of her triumphs came on the last day of the competition, when the Slovenian battled back from 4-1 down in the first set to defeat France's Clara Burel 75 64. Her achievement left Juvan lost for words after the match. "It's just so amazing to have both of them," she said. "I'm so happy that I was able to do this for my country, for my team, for my fans everywhere. Currently I'm speechless." The Slovenian also alluded to the success of previous participants in the Youth Olympics who have gone on to succeed in their professional tennis careers, citing the likes of Daria Kasatkina and Jelena Ostapenko as inspirations. Perhaps one of the most touching moments of the Games came just before the players were due to walk on for the medal ceremony in the girls' doubles. Naito, having lost, was in tears before being consoled by Juvan and China's Wang Xinyu (winner of a bronze medal alongside her compatriot Wang Xiyu). Capacity crowds packed into Centre Court at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club THE THIRD INSTALMENT OF THE YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES IN BUENOS AIRES PROVIDED ENOUGH DRAMA TO KEEP EVEN THE MOST discerning of box set addicts happy as records tumbled in front of passionate home crowds in the Argentinian capital. The tournament may well be remembered for some memorable performances on the court – Slovenia's Kaja Juvan was the first player to win two gold medals, while France's Hugo Gaston broke new ground by becoming the first person to win three medals of any description at one Youth Games – but it will also go down in history as a massive success off it. The opening ceremony, the first of its kind to be held in a public space, attracted record numbers and the Games themselves, which were free of charge, saw more visitors attend than in either of the previous editions. Nowhere was the home crowd felt more prominently than in the grand surroundings of Centre Court at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club. A capacity-crowd of 5,000 fans packed into the arena on the final two days and their presence was certainly felt by players who are not accustomed to competing in front of such numbers. "The truth is that it's incredible," said Argentina's Facundo Diaz Acosta after the second of his two final appearances having made it to the showpiece of both the boys' singles and doubles events. "I had goose bumps when everyone sang the National Anthem. We don't know how many times that will happen again." Diaz Acosta enjoyed a remarkable week under clear blue home skies as he defied the rankings to reach the final of the boys' singles draw before falling 64 75 to the in-form Frenchman Gaston. But he was not to be denied in his second shot at winning gold as he partnered Sebastian Baez to a comfortable 64 64 victory over the Bulgarian- Australian pairing of Adrian Andreev and Rinky Hijikata. Another player who will look back fondly on her time in Buenos Aires is Juvan, who, having only just qualified for the event owing to the fact that she had not played any Junior events in 2018, became the first player to win two golds. The first of her medals was clinched in partnership with her long-time friend from Poland, Iga Swiatek. The duo swept aside all before them, claiming the ultimate prize with a 67(5) 75 [10-4] victory over Japan's Yuki Naito and Naho Sato in the final of the girls' doubles. It's amazing to take a gold medal for my country. I'm really happy. H U G O G A S T O N 22 ITFWorld // WINTER 2018

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