Ailish García Fernández has booked herself a photo to remember in the Caja Magica. The Cantabrian player has been crowned champion of the 13th Under-16 Mutua Madrid Open Girls competition after defeating China’s Ketong Guo in a high-calibre final, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. It was a magnificent battle that delivered a clear message; the future is knocking at the door and the level of parity is almost absurd: Ailish won the title having scored just one point more than her opponent in the match.
The difference was minimal, almost invisible, until it appeared when it mattered most. At 5-4 in the third set, García Fernández managed to break Guo’s serve to close out a final that had hung in the balance throughout. The Spaniard asserted her authority early, taking the first set 6-2, but Guo responded in kind in the second. Another 6-2, this time for the Chinese player, and everything came down to a third set of nerves, legs and bravery.
García Fernández started her campaign as the tournament’s top seed. The Cantabrian had already won both qualifying events she had played, first in at home Santander and then in Bilbao. Neither did she falter in the grand finale in the Caja Magica. Three tournaments, three titles. A perfect record.
Even before it began, today’s clash promised to be a ripsnorter. Opposite her was the only other player who had managed to win two qualifying events on the circuit, in Alicante and Valencia. It was the match between the two mini giants of the Under-16 Mutua Madrid Open, and both lived up to the hype. The Chinese player competed with extraordinary maturity, raising her level after losing the first set, and forcing Ailish to find another gear when it became clear the title was going to the wire.
The new Under-16 Mutua Madrid Open champion continues to build on a spectacular season. Despite her youth, Ailish García Fernández already has five ITF Junior titles, four of them on clay, and just a week ago she was crowned champion of Madrid to boot. The Spaniard is growing accustomed to winning.
Later today, she will have one of those moments she’ll treasure for the rest of her life. Ailish will fulfil the dream of receiving her trophy alongside the champion of the Mutua Madrid Open women’s event, who will emerge from the final between Mirra Andreeva and Marta Kostyuk. It is a symbolic and invaluable prize for a player who has just etched her name in the history of the Under-16 tournament.
The Caja Magica crowned Ailish García Fernández after witnessing a final that proved the present and future of grass-roots tennis is in good hands. Two players with the smallest of margins between them, and a very high level. The parity between them was crazy. A champion in every sense.
