First Moldovan to ever reach US Open final

Moldovan tennis achieved a historic result as Maxim Dubarenco became the first Moldovan ever to reach the final of a Grand Slam tournament. On Sunday, September 11, Dubarenco and Ukraine’s Vladislav Manafov lost to the German duo of Robin Kern and Julian Lenz, 7-5 and 6-4, in the US Open doubles’ final for juniors. Dubarenco and Manafov recorded four victories on the road to the final, eliminating some early favorites. This was the fourth final in a doubles contest in 2011 for the Moldovan-Ukrainian pair, who won the Open International Juniors de Beaulieu sur Mer tournament in France. Both players performed well at other Grand Slam tournaments. They reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the semi-finals at Roland Garros. These results will propel Maxim Dubarenco in the world junior rankings. The 18-year-old is currently ranked 24th.