Following the week in Palermo, the Little Tennis Champions 26–27 group continued their summer tour, taking part in four new international tournaments: Sofia, San Marino, Skopje and Peja.
This followed weeks of training with top coaches at the Circolo della Stampa Sporting in Turin and at County Time in Palermo, coinciding with the 2026 WTA Palermo Ladies Open.
A journey that consolidated the progress already evident at the Turin training camp on 8 July, with clear improvements in technical, tactical, athletic and, above all, mental aspects, in their daily approach and in their ability to compete consistently.
During that week in Turin, the scholarship holders were fortunate enough to train on court with Gipo Arbino, mentor of our charity and architect of the masterpiece that took Lorenzo Sonego to No. 21 in the ATP rankings and to victory in the Davis Cup, and with Alessandro Petrone, who guided Matteo Arnaldi into the top 30 and to victory in the Salads Bowl. This combination of experience, method and technical insight provided the young players with a real boost in their development.
Throughout the summer tour, the day-to-day work of team manager and coach Simone Bongiovanni, FITP national coach Alfredo Santacroce, coaches Riccardo Sosso and Elena Bassani, and fitness coaches Andrea Tortorella and Federico Castagnone provided a decisive added value: a combination of expertise, method and sensitivity that accelerated the players’ development in every aspect of their journey.
In Sofia, at the World Tennis Tour Under-18 J30, the team immediately found their rhythm and confidence. Nadja Knezevic, born in 2012 and from Montenegro, put in a splendid performance in the final, confirming the quality of her tennis and her ability to handle the pressure at decisive moments. Alexia Enache also had an excellent run, reaching the semi-finals in the doubles and demonstrating steady improvement in her court management and attacking play.
The next stop, the J60 in San Marino, brought one of the summer’s most significant results: Natalia Dicu claimed the title, winning with character and consistency. In the same week, Nadja Knezevic reached the semi-finals, whilst Eliza Andra Deaconu earned her first ITF points – a crucial milestone in the journey of any young athlete entering the international circuit.
The tour then continued to Skopje, where the team spent two consecutive weeks competing in a J60 and a J30 tournament. In the first tournament, Maria Chiara Forgione, Arber Dano and Paolo Toscano earned their first ITF points, demonstrating consistency, attention to detail and a growing ability to compete point by point. In the J30, meanwhile, there were further signs of progress: Nadja Knezevic and Natalia Dicu both reached the semi-finals in the singles, and together they reached the semi-finals in the doubles, demonstrating good chemistry, court awareness and a natural aptitude for teamwork.
The men’s team then competed in the World Tennis Tour Under-18 event in Peja, Kosovo, with Arber Dano and Petar Stankovic. Here, Anesa Ismajli reached the doubles final, demonstrating her technical finesse and competitive spirit. Also worth noting is Petar Stankovic’s summer campaign, during which he reached the final of the Niksic Open – Tennis Europe Under-16 tournament, further proof of his progress and the quality of the work he has put in.