Swiss tennis talent Kilian Feldbausch and Spanish youth player Victoria Jiménez are the winners of the Longines Future Tennis Aces 2018.
When people talk about matches at the Paris Grand Slam, they also like to talk about victories or defeats under the Eiffel Tower. But when the Swiss watch brand Longines once again sought the stars of tomorrow in the ninth edition of its worldwide invitational tournament “Longines Future Tennis Aces”, the symbolism became pure reality: the winner and winner of the competition were determined on a court that was set up at the foot of the Paris landmark. “Unbelievably spectacular,” said Stefanie Graf, who had travelled to France’s capital together with her husband Andre Agassi for the award ceremony. Graf and Agassi also attended a large gala dinner at the Rodin Museum to celebrate the ten years of collaboration between Longines and the foundations of the two superstars.
During the award ceremony, Graf and Agassi also met the German winner of the 2013 “Longines Future Aces”, now 17-year-old Rudi Molleker. This year he will compete in the junior tournament of the French Open. In 2018, boys and girls played for the prestigious trophy and a Longines scholarship until they turned 16, with participants from 20 nations. The Swabian Lasse Pörtner and the Northern Hessian Pauline Bruns could not qualify for the quarter-finals after the group matches, after all they also posed on the court below the Eiffel Tower on Saturday together with tennis legends Graf and Agassi as well as the patrons Alex Corretja and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.
Surprisingly, the Swiss Kilian Feldbausch won the boys’ tournament, beating favourite Yaroslav Demin from Russia in the final. Longines Future Tennis Ace for the girls is Spanish Victoria Jiménez, who defeated American Clervie Ngounoe in a high-class match. Prior to the tournament, the talents had the opportunity to get valuable tips from experienced players: Severine Beltrame and Christophe Rochus headed the Longines Academy for the kids and their coaches. At the draw in the “Gustave Eiffel” salon on the Eiffel Tower, Longines presented 40 girls and boys with a Conquest Roland Garro timepiece dedicated to the Grand Slam tournament.