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Empire Slovak Open Trnava 2014
Last weekend I attended the 6th annual Empire Slovak Open ITF Women’s tennis tournament in Trnava, which is the largest women’s tennis tournament held in Slovakia. There were some promising names in the tournament’s lineup and I was looking forward for some outdoor shooting for a change. The variable light can be a bit of a challenge though. The harsh mid day light will guarantee very fast shutter speeds, but may introduce all kinds of over- or under- exposure problems. And the evening light can create some fantastic shadowplay on court. I really enjoyed working the light on this small center court.
The weather can also be the biggest hindrance to an outdoor sporting event. The singles finals between Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia and Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova of Czech republic had to be interrupted because of rain. Because of the downpour, the match had to be postponed till monday afternoon. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (with her electrifying glare) claimed her biggest tournament win to date after a two-set victory.
Here are some of my favorite shots I took during the three days I spent in Trnava, the rest can be found in a dedicated gallery on Tennis Arena: http://www.tennis-arena.cz/empire-slovak-open-2014-v-trnave-2023cz
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova – The 2014 Champion
Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova – The runner-up
Lesia Tsurenko
Stephanie Vogt and Saisai Zheng – The doubles champions
Margarita Gasparyan with Evgeniya Rodina – The doubles runner-ups
Slovak Open 2013
I spent the weekend photographying the 14th annual Slovak tennis championships. This tournament is regarded as one of the best ATP Challenger Series tournaments. Even though it’s not in the same league as big ATP tournaments, it offers some interesting matches each year. Until today, no player managed to win this tournament twice. Slovak tennis player Lukas Lacko (who managed to win the tournament in 2011) defeated the defending champion Lukas Rosol of Czech Republic in three sets 6:4, 4:6, 6:4. Henri Kontinen and Andreas Siljestrom became the doubles champions.
I’ve published more than 80 photos from saturday’s semifinals and sunday’s final on my Slovak blog and my favorite photos from the weekend can be found here (larger versions available after a click).
Hungarian Parliament Evening, Budapest, Hungary31/05/2024 - 17:55
Torah Ark, Spanish Synagogue, Prague, Czech republic03/07/2023 - 20:36
Golden Lane Twilight, Prague Castle, Czech Republic03/07/2023 - 20:24
Cesky Krumlov Summer Midday13/02/2023 - 21:14
Storm Chaser – Rainbow Catcher12/02/2023 - 15:35
Banska Stiavnica Rooftops from the Old Castle 202229/08/2022 - 22:49
Cherry Tree and Afternoon Clouds, Slovakia27/05/2022 - 22:12
Geographical center of Europe – A tribute to Karol Plicka27/08/2021 - 19:02
Mikulasa Schneidera Trnavskeho, Trnava, Slovakia06/10/2019 - 21:32