The line-up for the ITF World Junior Circuit Finals 2024, the junior equivalent of the ATP and WTA Finals, is now confirmed. This prestigious event will bring together eight of the best boys and girls in the tennis world at the Sichuan International Tennis Center in Chengdu, China, from October 16-20.

Among the most prominent competitors are Spain’s Rafael Jodar, recent US Open junior champion, and Mika Stojsavljevic, women’s champion of the same tournament. Also participating will be Emerson Jones, the world number one in the women’s category, along with Tyra Caterina Grant, three-time Grand Slam junior doubles champion. This year, for the first time, a pair of brothers, Emerson and Hayden Jones, will be present in the same edition of the Finals.

The competition will be intense, with the players divided into groups of four, with the top two advancing to the semifinals after three days of matches in a round-robin format. The winner of each event will receive 850 ranking points, which could be crucial in the fight to finish 2024 as world junior number one, as well as granting them professional opportunities through the ITF’s accelerator program.

PRIZES, CHINESE CULTURE AND BE LIKE A PRO

Beyond tennis, this event offers participants an immersion into Chinese culture, highlighting life as a professional tennis player. In addition, players will receive grants to support their transition to professional tennis, with prizes reaching up to USD 19,000 for winners, there being a guaranteed minimum of USD 6,000 for participating.

Since its first edition in 2015, the ITF Junior Finals have seen future Grand Slam champions, Olympic medalists and players who have reached the world Top 10, such as Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev, Qinwen Zheng, Taylor Fritz, Leylah Fernandez, Lorenzo Musetti, Marta Kostyuk and Camila Osorio. This edition promises to continue to be an essential platform for the development of young talent in global tennis.