The 22 year old Ukrainian Oleksandr Ovcharenko (n.635) is the winner of the 11th edition of the Lazzaroni ITF tournament with $15,000 in prize money, which was played on the red clay courts of the plain tennis club in Chieti.
In the final, scheduled for Saturday morning, the player born in Kiev but based in Mesagne, in the province of Brindisi, was supposed to face the French Lilian Marmousez (n.675) but the transalpine suffered an injury which prevented him from competing field. An unfortunate epilogue for a tournament which, however, managed to provide emotions and entertainment. The enthusiasts, who flocked in good numbers to the Piana Vincolato club, were unable to see even a 15th of what promised to be a rather uncertain challenge. Especially if you consider that the Ukrainian had come out of a real tennis marathon against the Tuscan Ribecai, defeated after more than three hours of play.
However, the satisfaction of the organizers remains, first and foremost the president of Tennis Chieti, Ennio Marianetti, and the tournament director, Luca Del Federico, for having organized a high-level tournament.
“The classic icing on the cake was missing – declared president Marianetti – but these are things that can happen. The important thing is to have done things well because organizing an international tournament is no small feat. Thanks to those who supported us, starting from the main sponsor Lazzaroni and to the institutions that are always close to us.”
