Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/441551
ITFWORLD WINTER 2014 29 www.itftennis.com ask for a better partner," said a delighted Zielinski afterwards. "I asked her like five months ago and I was so happy when she said yes." "I'm happy that someone like this asked me," chipped in Teichmann, with a broad smile. It was a buoyant end to a gripping eight days of competition that featured twists and turns throughout all five tennis disciplines. No top seed won a gold medal — girls' No. 1 Jorovic endured a particularly torrid time after falling in the first round in the singles, doubles and mixed doubles events — while each of the bronze medal play-offs were contested with all the urgency of a final. Akvile Parazinskaite fought hard to include her name on the honour roll. The cheery Lithuanian overcame Kalinina 63 75 in the girls' singles play-off, before adding a second bronze alongside Wimbledon junior champion Jelena Ostapenko in the girls' doubles to bring home two of her nation's seven medals across the Youth Olympic Games. Exciting Russian prospect Rublev, the boys' junior world No. 1 and a big hit with the spectators in Nanjing, also took home two medals, adding to his silver in the doubles by cantering past Yamasaki 61 63 to take bronze in the boys' singles. Yamasaki and Majchrzak were also double medal winners, with the former adding a bronze in the boys' doubles alongside Japanese countryman Ryotaro Matsumura to his silver in the mixed, before Majchrzak and 15-year-old Hungarian Fanni Stollar beat Argentina's Mattias Zukas and Romania's Ioana Ducu to mixed bronze. On court and off, the tennis event — and indeed the entire Youth Olympic Games — was a resounding success. Aided by the upbeat enthusiasm of 18,000 unfailingly willing local volunteers, the social legacy of Nanjing 2014 could prove just as important as the event's increasing standing as a springboard toward future success for the young athletes involved. IOC President Bach hit the nail on the head when he described the Games in his closing ceremony address as "perfectly flawless". For those who played a part, memories of the incomparable Nanjing 2014 will last a lifetime. Exciting Russian prospect Andrey Rublev, the boys' junior world No. 1 and a big hit with the spectators in Nanjing, also took home two medals. The first-ever Youth Olympic mixed doubles champions, Jan Zielinski and Jil Teichmann Jumpei Yamasaki of Japan scored two medals in doubles Roland Garros winner Rublev won singles bronze and doubles silver