After intense days of selection on the field at three prestigious venues—the ITC-ILO United Nations Campus in Turin for Italy, the National Sport Park in Tirana for Albania and Kosovo, and the Tennis Club in Nikšić for Montenegro – the technical committee and board of directors of the I Tennis Foundation are pleased to announce the winners of the 12 scholarships for the Little Tennis Champions 2025–2026 program for Italy, Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro.
It was a very complex selection process: the young athletes from the four countries involved demonstrated talent, dedication, and great enthusiasm. These technical and human qualities fully reflect the values of our project.
The evaluation criteria that guided the selection of the winners in this final specific phase of on-court selection, as per the regulations, were as follows:
- Family economic conditions – 40%
- Tennis level, ambition, and determination – 20%
- Attitude on and off the court – 15%
- National ranking – 15%
- English language level – 10%
We are pleased to announce the names of the 12 young people selected, 6 boys and 6 girls:
BOYS:
In alphabetical order
- Cruceru Ianis Alberto – May 18, 2012 – Lucca, Italy
- Dano Arber – July 12, 2011 – Tirana, Albania
- Dagnino Davide – January 7, 2011 – Savona, Italy
- Krulj Ljubisa – 13/06/2011 – Podgorica, Montenegro
- Stankovic Petar – 17/01/2011 – Cetinje, Montenegro
- Toscano Paolo – 17/11/2011 – Naples, Italy
ALTERNATES
In alphabetical order
- Duraku Morihei – 20/06/2012 – Kosovo
- Fehrati Ares – 07/04/2011 – Albania
- Filiberto Alessandro Giorgio – 06/08/2012 – Italy
- Franzinu Leonardo – 11/07/2012 – Italy
- Kordic Djordje – 04/14/2011 – Montenegro
- Marinelli Pietro – 02/07/2012 – Italy
- Milic Aleksa – 01/23/2011 – Montenegro
- Milickovic Luka – 12/02/2011 – Montenegro
- Mullici Ditan – 03/18/2011 – Albania
- Prizreni Erion – 11/19/2011 – Kosovo
- Ramadani Unik – 01/13/2011 – Kosovo
- Zinga Diego – 01/02/2011 – Italy
GIRLS:
In alphabetical order
- Bondoc Antonia Stephany – 12/28/2012 – Venice, Italy
- Forgione Maria Chiara – 05/23/2011 – Avellino, Italy
- Ismajli Anesa – 05/27/2012 – Pristina, Kosovo
- Knezevic Nadja – 07/11/2012 – Podgorica, Montenegro
- Mazzarella Demetra – 03/19/2011 – Cuneo, Italy
- Pacini Carolina – 02/03/2012 – Grosseto, Italy
ALTERNATES:
In alphabetical order
- Bushati Glora – 22/04/2011 – Albania
- Dano Ola – 20711/2012 – Albania
- Deaconu Eliza Andra – 23/02/2011 – Italy
- Delija Emma – 01/09/2011 – Kosovo
- Drekalovic Anja – 18/02/2011 – Montenegro
- Galeone Victoria – 01/06/2011 – Italy
- Globarevic Stasa – 04/05/2011 – Montenegro
- Hoxha Anjel – 02/06/2011 – Albania
- Hysaj Hajdi – 24/03/2012 – Albania
- Karadzic Martina – 14/03/2012 – Montenegro
- Kostic Lana – 05/07/2012 – Montenegro
- Radoman Eva Angelina – 02/01/2011 – Montenegro
- Scozzafava Giulia – 24/04/2012 – Italy
- Selmanaj Reina – 27/05/2012 – Kosovo
- Veseli Hana – 24/01/2012 – Kosovo
The 12 selected scholarship recipients will be officially presented from July 14 to 18 in Turin during the first week of special training sessions with top coaches Gipo Arbino, Lorenzo Sonego’s long-time coach, and Simone Tartarini, the long-time coach of ATP top-10 player Lorenzo Musetti, who, together with the entire technical staff of the I Tennis Foundation, will launch the program with the scholarship recipients.
The program will continue throughout the year with another seven weeks of intensive sessions and eight weeks dedicated to participation in Tennis Europe international tournaments, all at prestigious venues including the Emilio Sánchez Academy (Spain), Ljubičić Tennis Academy (Croatia), Forte Village Resort (Sardinia), the national training center in Tirana, Albania, and other important clubs in Italy, Switzerland, and France.
Special thanks go to all the Italian and foreign families who participated in the selection process and accompanied and supported the young people on this journey with great commitment and understanding, knowing that this selection process for admission to the program was, first and foremost, a competition for a scholarship program in which the application of the criteria of solidarity and meritocracy had a substantial and declared weight.
Heartfelt thanks also go to the young people who participated in the selection process but were not chosen, who demonstrated an extraordinary technical and human level: as alternates, in the event of absences of the beneficiaries, they will also enjoy the benefits of the program.
Finally, we would like to thank our sponsors, partners, and donors for their continued support and renew our invitation to attend the press event on July 15, 2025, in Turin, which will also include an exhibition on the court by the new players and will officially mark the start of this new, exciting edition of the Little Tennis Champions project!
Enjoy your tennis, everyone, and see you on the court!