Veli Losinj 2024: a major MT1000 senior tennis tournament took place in Croatia
Last Updated on 15 March 2025 by Racket One
The tournament was held under the auspices of the ITF, with the status of European Masters Championships (former European Senior Championships) and the auto-title category MT1000, allowing the winners to receive a significant rating boost.
The senior tournament took place from June 3 to 9 at the Ljubicic Tennis Academy on the picturesque island of Veli Losinj, where the tennis academy clay courts owned by the former professional tennis player Ivan Ljubicic are located.
The senior tennis tournament featured 241 players from 35 countries, spanning age categories from 30 to 90 years, including singles and doubles for men, women, and mixed categories. To be honest, while some categories didn’t attract many participants, others were highly competitive.
Men’s singles
The largest age group in the tournament was the 65+ category, with three dozen senior tennis players taking part. The winner of the group was Martin Cornish from Britain, who scored three confident victories before the final. In the final, he faced Australian Wayne Pascoe and won with a score of 2-1 (1-6, 6-3, 6-2).
There were also quite a lot of participants in the 50+ and 55+ groups. The winners were Clemens Weinhandl from Austria and Mauro Colangelo from Italy, who confidently won their finals without losing a single set.
It’s interesting to note that in the 30+ age group, Matias Valdes, a tennis player from the distant country of Chile, emerged as the victor in the men’s singles category. Despite having to travel a long way to Europe, Valdes triumphed over Klaus Moser of Germany, securing a 2-0 victory in sets (6-0, 6-4) in the final.
Other MT1000 Veli Losinj 2024 winners in men’s singles:
- Petar Djukic (SRB), 35+ group
- Thomas Burgemeister (GER), 40+ group
- Carsten Groeger (GER), 45+ group
- Clemens Weinhandl (AUT), 50+ group
- Bernd Ruck (GER), 60+ group
- Marc Renoult (FRA), 70+ group
- Marjan Furlan (SLO), 75+ group
Women’s singles
In the women’s groups, the most widely contested draw was in the 50+ category, where Valentina Padula from Italy emerged victorious in the final against Hungary’s representative, Szilvia Pestuka, with a score of 2-2 (6-0, 6-4).
Sabrina Cantoni from Italy and Vladimira Andersson from Sweden emerged as the winners in the 55+ and 65+ groups respectively.
Other MT1000 Veli Losinj 2024 winners in women’s singles:
- Almudena Sanz-Llaneza Fernandez (ESP), 30+ group
- Eileen Aranas-Roth (GER), 35+ group
- Johanna Tyreus (SWE), 40+ group
- Kristine Quadflieg (GER), 45+ group
- Liselot Prechtel (NED), 60+ group
- Pauline Fisher (GBR), 70+ group
Doubles
In the doubles category, the 65+ men’s tournament had the most participants. The duo of Karl Konofsky from Germany and Wayne Pascoe from Australia emerged victorious. They advanced past the semi-final with a technical victory and went on to defeat the Hungarian pair, Karoly Kovacs and Kalman Marton, in the final with a score of 2-0 (6-3, 6-3).
Other winners in Veli Losinj 2024 men’s doubles:
- Petar Djukic (SRB) / Stefan Trifonov (BUL), 30+ group
- Dario Muzic (CRO) / Marko Radulovic (CRO), 35+ group
- Thomas Burgemeister (GER) / Carsten Groeger (GER), 40+ group
- Adrian Ludwikiewicz (POL) / Janusz Szajna (POL), 45+ group
- Ovidiu Dragomir (ROU) / Henrik Mueller-Frerich (GER), 50+ group
- Mauro Colangelo (ITA) / Cristiano Franzato (ITA), 55+ group
- Luca Lanzarotta (ITA) / Federico Lenzi (ITA), 60+ group
- Bruno Renoult (FRA) / Marc Renoult (FRA), 70+ group
- Peter Homrodi (HUN) / Gabor Veress (HUN), 75+ group
In the mixed doubles for the older age categories, a serious competition unfolded. For example, the German-British duo Sabine Schmitz and Martin Cornish in 65+ group managed to get through the difficult quarter-finals and semi-finals, showing their will to win in the final. They defeated the Dutch pair Karen Peeters and Jacob Panman with a score of 2-0 (7-6, 6-2).
The winners in mixed doubles:
- Simona Demont (SUI) / Alexandru Stoia (ROU), 30+ group
- Eileen Aranas-Roth (GER) / Carsten Groeger (GER), 35+ group
- Sandra Gruber (AUT) / Martin Zehetner (AUT), 40+ group
- Stefanie Kolar (GER) / Iosif Antonio Boros (ROU), 45+ group
- Valentina Padula (ITA) / Henrik Mueller-Frerich (GER), 50+ group
- Jenny Tielman Van Nunen (SWE) / Anders Rosen (SWE), 55+ group
- Danielle Meunier (LUX) / Marc Renoult (FRA), 60+ group
- Pauline Fisher (GBR) / Keith Porter (CAN), 70+ group
The women’s doubles tournament was not as well-represented as the men’s or mixed doubles. However, in most categories, it was possible to determine the winners through round-robin mini-tournaments or knockout tournaments.
The winners in women’s doubles:
- Eileen Aranas-Roth (GER) / Nina Spaeth (GER), 35+ group
- Stefanie Kolar (GER) / Rita Zenunaj (SUI), 45+ group
- Valentina Padula (ITA) / Alessia Zerbino (ITA), 50+ group
- Rozsa Balta (HUN) / Judit Wagner (HUN), 55+ group
- Lotta Ekberg (SWE) / Elisabetta Morici (ITA), 60+ group
- Anna-Karin Mansson (SWE) / Sabine Schmitz (GER), 65+ group
Behind the scenes
Any major senior tournament is not only about competition but also about connecting with like-minded people. Veli Losinj 2024 proved to be an excellent venue for such activities, especially during the dinner party and award ceremony.
According to the Tennis Academy team that hosted the tournament, the event was a truly unforgettable experience for participants, with players enjoying the excitement of competition and a variety of off-court activities.
“While the 2024 European Masters Championships may be over, its impact continues to resonate. The tournament inspires the next generation of senior tennis players, demonstrating the enduring spirit of competition and the boundless joy of the sport,” said the owners of the court, expressing their hopes for the future.
More photographs from the tournament can be found on the Tennis Europe website, while tournament brackets and full results are available on the ITF sources.
