Last week marked the 60th edition of the traditional Copa del Café (Coffee Bowl). This junior tennis tournament is held at the Costa Rica Country Club, located in Escazú. This year, Julian Garnier and Lucia Gallegos, the two representatives from Costa Rica, showcased their potential in the U-18 category.
At the event’s opening, Garnier made his singles debut against Simon Caldwell, from the U.S., who dominated and closed the match with a score of 6-0, 6-0. On the other hand, Lucia Gallegos lost her singles match to American Ligaya Murray, with a score of 7-6, 6-4.
The surprise came in doubles, where the Costa Rican partnered with Ireland O’Brien, from the U.S., and together they won the first round, advancing to the quarterfinals. Then, Gallegos and O’Brien managed to defeat a duo from Mexico and Venezuela, securing their place in the semifinals. However, they lost the following match against Mariella Thamm and Julieta Pareja.
Nonetheless, this was a historic achievement by Gallegos, as the last Costa Rican tennis player to achieve this feat was Julia Roca in 2001. Ryan Cozad (U.S.) and Mariella Thamm (Germany) were crowned champions. Cozad defeated compatriot Yubel Ubri in the men’s final, 6-2, 6-3, while Thamm defeated American Ava Rodriguez with a score of 6-3, 6-3 in the women’s category.
The matches were played at a very high level, with a large crowd and were televised for Costa Rica. “We are contributing our grain of sand to the development of young tennis players, providing them with the opportunity to expose themselves and play in an environment very similar to the professional one, with fans cheering and asking for autographs,” said Luis Fernandez, president of the Organizing Committee.
This year, the Coffee Bowl, one of the most prestigious junior tournaments on the circuit, gathered 64 players under 18 years of age. In the past, high-caliber tennis players, such as Roger Federer, Madison Keys, Juan Martín del Potro, and Viktoria Azarenka, have participated in the tournament.
