Oliver Bonding lifts renowned U18 Banana Bowl title
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16-year-old Oliver Bonding made history this weekend as he became the first British Boy to win the J500 Blumenau title – also known as the Banana Bowl – since 2010.
Competing on the clay courts of Blumenaus in Brazil, Bonding dropped just one set en route to the final – knocking out second seed Reda Bennani in the semi-final before capping off a dominant week with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Japan’s Naoya Honda.
The Banana Bowl is one of the biggest international competitions in the junior calendar, standing just below the Junior Grand Slams. The tournament holds an illustrious list of past winners, including seven-time singles Grand Slam champion John McEnroe, Andy Roddick and Monica Puig.
Bonding becomes only the fourth Brit to win a J500 singles title, following on from 15-year-old Hannah Klugman who was the last Briton to win a title of that calibre at the 2023 Orange Bowl.
“This is gratification for all the work I have been putting in for a long time now,” Bonding said in an interview with the ITF.
“Coming into the Junior Grand Slams and particularly Roland Garros (in June), it puts me in a great space. I will take a lot of confidence from here – winning on clay – but I need to keep working hard.”
This accomplishment has now seen Bonding rise 19 places in the ITF boys’ junior rankings where he’s reached a career-high ranking of world No.13. The 16-year-old is currently supported by our Men’s & Women’s Programme which is geared towards supporting the best players in the country between the ages of 16 and 21 and is coached by Gabriel Trjillo.
This title marks Bonding’s sixth and biggest junior singles title, which he adds to the J300 Barranquilla trophy he won in February 2023. Last year also saw the Brit finish runner-up at the 16U and 18U Junior National Championships.
