ITF

ITFWORLD WINTER 2015 37 www.itftennis.com GALFI SHINES IN NYC I t will take some doing for 17-year-old Hungarian Dalma Galfi to better the summer of 2015. In July, Galfi experienced junior Grand Slam success for the first time as she won the girls' doubles at Wimbledon with Fanni Stollar. Two months later, Galfi won the girls' singles at the US Open in style, dropping just one set on her way to the title which secured her the world No. 1 ranking. It is a clear sign of the improvements that Galfi has made since she started working at the start of the summer with former world No. 7 Andrea Temesvari, the 49-year-old who won the Italian Open at the age of 16 before a number of injuries stopped her from fulfilling her potential. Temesvari was constantly on her feet in the stands at Flushing Meadows as Galfi beat American Sofia Kenin in the final. "Andrea helps really much," says Galfi. "She's telling me how to act on the court, off the court and how to behave myself. I think I'm more calm and cool on the court, not so frustrated about the things happening around me. She's helping mentally a lot." Galfi was introduced to the sport at the age of four by her father. "My father was a tennis coach," says Galfi. "He is still a coach, but not mine anymore. He worked with me for ten years and after that we felt we had to move one step, so now I am working with Andrea and another coach, Levente Baratosi, who was the coach of Timea Babos before." Hungary may not be renowned for producing top players, but Galfi — who made her Fed Cup by BNP Paribas debut earlier this year — and Stollar both provide a beacon of hope for the country. The two almost met in the final in New York had Kenin not beaten Stollar in the last four, but Galfi claimed revenge on behalf of her compatriot to become the first Hungarian to win the US Open girls' singles. "I'm really happy that I could do that for my country and for myself," says Galfi. "I can present my country with this trophy."

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