Article by Marius Mărgărit – Published Saturday, October 25, 2025 9:59 p.m. / Updated Saturday, October 25, 2025 9:59 p.m.
After a break of 12 years, Romania again had a finalist at the U16 Masters in Monte Carlo, where Maria Pop (15 years old) met Tea Kovacevic, from Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The player from Romania started the match well, making the first break, but from 3-1 she was unable to put anything on the table, the first set ending after 53 minutes in favor of the Bosnian with 6-3.
Stronger, Kovacevic quickly pulled away in the second leg, leading 3-0. Maria recovered a break, but then made a lot of mistakes and lost again, this time with 1-6. Thus, Tea Kovacevic defended her conquered title in 2024 as well.
Maria started the Monte Carlo tournament from the number 1 position in the Race ranking, following the results of this year, in which she won 4 tournaments. And in the Masters group, she defeated the Austrian Kara Fronek 6-3, 6-3, the Croatian Iva Jerkovic 6-1, 6-3 and the Polish Olivia Sybicka 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.
At this edition of the Monte Carlo Masters, Romania had two other athletes in the competition, in the U16 category, Ayanna Maria Mitu (6 Race) and Laurentiu Badea (3 Race).
Tea Kovacevic (2nd Race), double winner of the U16 Masters, is Maria's doubles partner. The two won the ITFJ100 tournament from Timișoara this year and made the final in Italy, at the Foro Italico. In 2025, Maria Pop became European U16 champion with the Romanian team and then won the bronze medal in the continental individual event.
Ioana Mincă, the last Romanian to win the U16 Masters, in 2013
The Junior Masters has been contested since 1996 (in 2020 it was canceled due to the pandemic) in the U14 and U16 categories. The first 24 editions took place in Italy, in Prato (7), Jesi (one), Reggio Calabria (12), Orbetello (two) and Naples (two). From 2021, the Masters tournament has been moved to Monte Carlo.
The first Romanian player to win this U16 tournament was Monica Niculescu (2002). In the following two years, laureates were Mihaela Buzărnescu (2003) and Alexandra Dulgheru (2004). Later, Cristina Dinu (2008), Cristina Ene (2010) and Ioana Mincă (2013) also won.
In the event reserved for U14 juniors, Raluca Olaru was the only winner from Romania, at the 2003 edition. 5 other players from us competed in the final of the U14 Masters. Delia Sescioreanu (2000), Sorana Cîrstea (2003), Simona Halep (2005), Ilka Csoregi (2010) and Eva Maria Ionescu (2021) played in the final.
