No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveCosta Rica's Copa del Café wraps up with surprises, exciting play

Costa Rica’s Copa del Café wraps up with surprises, exciting play

Costa Rica’s 50th Copa del Café tennis tournament came to a close Saturday evening on an intimate court at the Costa Rica Country Club, southwest of the capital. The final matches were played in front of a captivated audience who held on to every point played in each of the four two-set matches.

The biggest surprise of the evening was Catherine Bellis of the United States, who defeated the No. 1 seed Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic in the girls’ singles final. Bellis, 14, played a strong, confident game and won in straight sets (6-4, 6-3). She will advance from her spot at 105 in the International Tennis Federation rankings to a spot in the top 50.

tennis07

Marie Bouzkova returns the ball during the girls’ singles finals at the Copa del Café.
Lindsay Fendt

Bouzkova, ranked 19 in the world on Jan. 6, appeared to be nervous from the beginning of the match and committed a lot of unforced errors, which contributed to her loss. Despite losing the final match, the points gained in earlier matches will advance the 15-year-old Czech in the ITF rankings.

In the boys’ singles final, the No. 1 seeded Roman Safiullin from Russia met expectations and defeated Ryotaro Matsumura from Japan in straight sets, 7-6, 6-1.

In the girls’ doubles final, the Belgian team formed by Morgane Michiels and Greetje Minnen won 5-4 and 7-5 over British Emily Arbuthnott and Brazilian Luisa Stefani.

The boys’ doubles final was won by Peruvian Nicolás Álvarez and Venezuelan Rafael Antonio Coutinho in an exciting 10-point tiebreaker played in place of a third set. Álvarez and Coutinho won 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 over their opponents, Adrián Andrzejczuk from Poland and Nam Hoang Ly from Vietnam.

Tennis06

Rafael Coutinho hugs his doubles partner Nicolás Álvarez after their victory in the boys’ doubles finals at the Copa del Café.
Lindsay Fendt

Andrzejczuk said “It was a great tournament, lots of nice people. Close match, but we tried our best.”

His sentiment was echoed throughout the evening on the podium, as the tennis players expressed their gratitude to everyone for making Copa del Café a great tournament.

Check out some more photos from the finals:

tennis05

Catherine Cartan Bellis celebrates after a point in the girls’ singles finals at the Copa del Café.
Lindsay Fendt

tennis02

Nicolás Álvarez of Peru lunges for the ball during the Copa del Café.
Lindsay Fendt

tennis03

Catherine Cartan Bellis from the U.S. won the girls’ singles tournament at the Copa del Café.
Lindsay Fendt

tennis11

Boys doubles winners Rafael Coutinho and Nicolás Álvarez show off their new Copa del Café plaques.
Lindsay Fendt

tennis10

Catherine Cartan Bellis hoists the victory plate over her head after winning the girls’ singles tournament at the Copa del Café.
Lindsay Fendt

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Top Court Bans President Chaves from 2026 Election Campaign

Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Thursday barred President Rodrigo Chaves from participating in the 2026 election campaign, ruling that he "illegitimately used" his...

Retired Nicaraguan Army Captain Sentenced to 50 Years for Treason

A retired military officer was sentenced to 50 years in prison in Nicaragua for the crime of "treason against the homeland," his family denounced...

Costa Rica Stars in Variety’s Top Ten Film Locations

Variety Magazine named our small piece of paradise a top filming destination in its latest featured article, “Ten Locations to Die For,” spotlighting our...

Hondurans March to Mark 2009 Coup as Election Battle Heats Up

Thousands of government supporters marched Saturday in the capital of Honduras to commemorate the anniversary of the 2009 coup that ousted then-leftist President Manuel...

Costa Rica’s Eyelash Viper Snake Is One of the Most Beautiful

There are at least 141 different species of snakes in Costa Rica. With that large number of species packed into such a tiny nation,...

Costa Rica Pushes USA to the Brink but Falls in Penalty Heartbreak

If you just caught the end of the USA vs. Costa Rica Gold Cup quarterfinal, you probably feel like you need another cup of...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica