Biggest risers, best streaks, most wins: Juniors in 2024
Quite rightly, there is significant focus upon the 2024 ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals, which will feature 16 (eight boys and eight girls) of the very best junior players on the planet when they get underway on 16 October.
The ITF Junior Finals are the pinnacle of a junior player’s season and reward for the hard work and success of the previous 12 months. However, the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors is far broader than a single tournament.
This year alone there will be close to 1000 ITF junior tournaments held across more than 130 nations as rising stars continue their sporting journeys and work towards a career in professional tennis.
It is once again time to delve into the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors and tell some untold stories, shining a light on players – perhaps some less-celebrated names – who are taking significant and impressive steps within their careers.
- When it comes to Tour leaders there are three players who have chalked up six singles titles this season - the most across 2024. Those are Romania’s Yannick Theodor Alexandrescou, Thilo Behrmann of Austria and Czechia’s Jana Kovackova. All three have won an array of titles, ranging from J30s through to J200s. Alexandrescou’s triumph at J200 Novi Sad, Behrmann’s victory at J200 Cairo and Kovackova’s success at J200 Rakovnik – all in September – were the biggest titles of their respective careers.
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- It is worth noting that Kovackova, who was a member of the Czechia girls’ team crowned 2024 ITF World Junior Tennis champions in August, is just 14 years old. She is the second youngest player – boy or girl – in history to win six ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors singles titles. The youngest is Kristina Liutova, who won her sixth at J30 San Diego in February.
- Kovackova has also won five doubles titles in 2024 – all with different partners. This makes her the leading girl on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors in terms of combined titles won across singles and doubles. She is also the youngest player – boy or girl – in history to win 11 or more titles in the same season.
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- Puerto Rico’s Yannik Alvarez has also won a combined 11 titles this season, five of which have come in singles and six in doubles. At the age of 15, he is the youngest boy in ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors history to win 11 or more titles in the same season.
- The accolade for most match-wins on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors so far this season goes to Hyunyee Lee of Korea, Rep., who has 54 to her name. Those victories have helped the 17-year-old claim four singles titles, including a career-best at J100 Namangan in August. She is currently ranked No. 174 in the ITF World Tennis Tour girls’ rankings. On the boys' side, nobody has won more matches this season than Behrmann, who has 48 match-wins to his name.
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- There are players currently boasting some impressive winning streaks on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors. Iran’s Yasaman Yazdani is currently on a 24-match winning streak in singles and has not lost since her first-round defeat at J200 Kish Island in January. In the intervening period, the 16-year-old has lifted silverware at two editions of J30 Sari, two editions of J60 Isfahan and J60 Tehran.
- Alexey Shibaev, meanwhile, is currently on a 21-match winning streak - the best this year in boys’ singles competition. That run has contributed to the 16-year-old winning titles at J60 Tsakhadzor, two editions of J60 Isfahan and J60 Tehran.
- In the past we have tended to focus upon those who have risen into the Top 50 of the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Rankings but, on this occasion, we have decided to feature the player who has simply risen the most in 2024 – and that is China P.R.'s Qu Yihan. The 15-year-old has risen a colossal 3299 places to No. 193 following a season in which she was won five singles titles, including a career-best at J100 Fuzhou.
These are just a few names of players who have made a mark on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors in recent months. There is plenty of time left in the season for others to come to the fore.