After the acceptance lists closed on 14 July, a real wave of withdrawals swept through the tournament. More than half of the original names disappeared from the field, both among boys and girls. Their places were taken by players from the alternate lists, which means the acceptance lists now look completely different than they did just yesterday.
In the boys’ tournament, the most important thing remains unchanged: two Poles are still at the very top of the field — Aleksander Blus (ITF 74) and Tymon Litwic (ITF 88). Behind them, however, there has been plenty of movement. Among those who withdrew are last year’s finalist Michael Savano (USA, 113), as well as Eric Mueller (Germany, 95) and Dominik Vagner (Czech Republic, 125). The biggest effect of the reshuffle? A true red-and-white surge: the number of Polish players in the field has increased from four to as many as sixteen. The boys’ tournament will therefore have a much more “home” feel.
The changes in the girls’ field are even greater. The entire previous top section of the list has dropped out, including the former leading players Lujza Beviz (Hungary) and Veronika Sekerkova, as well as a strong group of Czech players. The highest-ranked player now is Denmark’s Caroline Hermanns (ITF 169), followed by Sara Oliveriusova (Czech Republic, 190). The red-and-white presence has become even stronger here as well: the number of Polish girls has jumped from two to fifteen. Among them is Anna Skorupska — last year’s Grand Prix doubles champion.
The jubilee 50th edition is therefore taking on a clearly more home-grown character, and fans in Poznan will have many more reasons to cheer for the red and white. The current full acceptance lists for both girls and boys are available in the Players section. Only a few days remain until the first balls are struck!
