Four Manitoba Athletes Represent Team Prairies at U16 Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals in Montreal

Four local tennis players recently represented Manitoba and the Prairies with pride on the national stage at the Tennis Canada Fischer Indoor Junior National Championships.

Mariya Gedz, Jett Nguyen, Hudson Joseph Van Den Bussche, and Natalina Zappia all earned selection to Team Prairies at the U16 level, competing against 40 of the top-ranked boys and 40 of the top-ranked girls from across the country.

The event took place at Club de tennis Île des Sœurs in Montreal, Quebec, from March 22 to 29.

The team showed strong commitment throughout the week, including early morning 6 a.m. training sessions, bringing consistent effort and determination to high-level national competition. Competing as part of a combined Prairie team alongside athletes from Saskatchewan, the group gained valuable experience both on and off the court.

On the competition side, all four athletes faced strong opposition in singles and doubles play throughout the week. In the U16 boys draw, Jett Nguyen advanced to the second round in singles before falling to ninth seed Ilya Sherifali, while Nguyen and Hudson Joseph Van Den Bussche competed in doubles, reaching the round of 32. Van Den Bussche also competed in singles action, where he faced Simon Stoyanov in the opening round.

In the U16 girls draw, Mariya Gedz and Natalina Zappia both competed in singles action, while also taking part in doubles play. Gedz partnered with Victoria Koniouchine to reach the round of 16, while Zappia teamed up with Amy Shen to advance to the semifinals.

Tennis Manitoba Executive Director Steve Dreger praised the group’s dedication and development through the national experience.

“It was a really good experience for all the players that went,” said Dreger. “All four of them are terrific, dedicated athletes. They took the tournament as an opportunity to be on the big stage and test themselves. They all came back feeling positive.”

“Tennis Manitoba couldn’t be more proud of them. It’s a really strong showing for the province, and a valuable experience for their continued development.”

Zappia also competed in the U18 Fischer Indoor Junior National Championships held the following week at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto. In singles, she faced second seed and eventual champion Isabella Ruyu Yan in the round of 32, and in doubles, she reached the quarter-finals alongside partner Noelle Yuxuan Dai.