The first day of spring 2026 was successful for Belarusian tennis on the international arena. Immediately, two Belarusian tennis players, Yulia Gotovka and Iryna Shymanovich, concluded their performances on foreign courts with championship cups in hand.
Павялічыць
Yulia Gotovka. Photo: Photo from the archive of the Ministry of Sports
Gotovka’s Flawless Path in Egypt
Yulia Gotovka became the triumphant winner of the ITF tournament held on hard courts in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh. The Belarusian demonstrated enviable stability: throughout the entire week, she did not concede a single set to her opponents.
In the decisive match for the title, Gotovka faced Slovenian Ela Nala Milić. The final lasted 1 hour and 17 minutes and was under the complete control of the Belarusian athlete. The match score was 6:2, 6:3.
It is worth noting that the tournament draw brought two Belarusians together already in the quarterfinal stage: it was then that Yulia knocked out her compatriot Hanna Kubarava. Also, two Italians and a representative from Germany were defeated on the way to the final.
According to the regulations of competitions of this category, the winner can expect a cash prize in the range of 2.3 to 3.9 thousand dollars.
Shymanovich’s Doubles Success in Turkey
A higher-rated victory took place in Antalya, Turkey, where a WTA-125 series tournament was held. Iryna Shymanovich, teaming up with Russian Maria Kozyreva, proved her dominance in the doubles category.
In the final confrontation, the girls competed against the international tandem of Peangtarn Plipuech (Thailand) and Momoko Kobori (Japan). While the first set was a tense battle (7:5), in the second set, the Belarusian-Russian pair left no chances for their opponents, conceding only one game (6:1). The match lasted one and a half hours.
This success brought the winners 125 ranking points and a check for approximately 6 thousand dollars per team (the total prize fund of the tournament was 115 thousand dollars).