First nations qualify for 2023 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals

The identities of the first nations to qualify for the 2023 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals are now known after two weeks of final qualifying for the Asia/Oceania region in Kuching, Malaysia.

In the boys’ competition, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Rep. and Pakistan have all secured their places at the Finals while, in the girls’ draw, Japan, Korea, Rep. and Australia all progressed.

As a reminder, ITF World Junior Tennis is the premier team competition for players in the 14-and-under age category, with one boys’ team and one girls’ team crowned world champion each year.

Like its 16-and-under equivalents – Davis Cup Juniors and Billie Jean King Cup Juniors by Gainbridge, as well as the professional versions of those tournaments – ITF World Junior Tennis has a season-long narrative.

Qualification processes take place across five regions (Asia/Oceania, Africa, Europe, South America and North Central America & Caribbean) from where successful nations advance to the Finals in Prostejov, Czech Republic.

The 2023 Finals will take place from 7-12 August with a total of 16 boys’ teams and 16 girls’ teams battling to top the global podium and be named the best team on the planet in the 14-and-under category.

The likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Iga Swiatek, Nick Kyrgios, Marketa Vondrousova and Coco Gauff are just a few names to have competed at the Finals in recent times, reflecting the importance of the competition in terms of player development.

There have only ever been three ITF World Junior Tennis winners from the Asia/Oceania region, all of them boys’ teams: Australia in 2007 and Korea, Rep. in 2011 and 2015, so opportunity knocks for this year’s qualified nations.