Czechia girls, USA boys crowned 2024 World Junior Tennis champions
Czechia’s ever-churning production line of junior tennis talent shows no sign of slowing down.
The Czech under 14 girls’ team claimed their third successive World Junior Tennis title – and their fifth triumph in the past seven years – after a come-from-behind triumph over USA on home soil in Prostejov this weekend.
It means they overtake USA and move joint-top on the list for most titles won in the event – the marquee international team competition for under 14 players – with eight.
Jana Kovackova might well be a name to watch out for in future and she was responsible for pulling the hosts back from the brink in Saturday’s final.
The 14-year-old right-hander, who has won four titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors this year and reached two further finals, proved equally clinical in international team competition.
She won all five of the singles matches she contested during her week in Prostejov without dropping a set, as well as three of her four doubles matches.
With the Czechs under the cosh when Maggie Sohns defeated Laura Chlumska in the opening match of the final, Kovackova soon righted the ship – seeing off Welles Newman 6-0 6-4 before partnering with Katerina Zajickova to defeat Newman and Sohns 6-4 6-4 in the doubles decider and seal glory.
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USA bounced back in the boys’ event, defeating Brazil 2-0 in the final to earn their seventh ITF World Junior Tennis title overall and their first since 2019.
Jordan Lee and Michael Antonius did the damage in the title match, Lee beating Henrique Pissetti Vialle 6-3 6-4 before Antonius battled back from the brink to defeat Livas Eduardo De Carvalho 4-6 7-6(6) 6-2.
Despite defeat it was a momentous week for Brazil, who had never before reached the World Junior Tennis final in either of the boys’ or girls’ competitions. It suggests a bright future for Brazilian tennis, which celebrated Junior Davis Cup glory – the under 16 international team competition for juniors – in 2022.
It was also an excellent week for Great Britain's girls' team, which made it on to the podium in third place to secure their first World Junior Tennis medal since finishing second in 2012, and Argentina's boys', who claimed their first medal since finishing runners-up in 2005.
Click below for all the results from the week: