First nations qualify for 2024 ITF junior team competition Finals
The first nations have qualified for this season’s flagship ITF junior team competition Finals – Billie Jean King Cup Juniors by Gainbridge Finals, Davis Cup Juniors Finals and the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals.
As with their professional equivalents, Billie Jean King Cup Juniors and Davis Cup Juniors have season-long narratives, as does ITF World Junior Tennis – the premier international team event in the 14-and-under age category.
Held In Orlando, Florida, North/Central American and Caribbean final qualifying saw USA and Canada seal their place at the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors Finals.
USA are defending Billie Jean King Cup Juniors champions having conquered all before them at the 2023 Finals in Cordoba and will no doubt be one of the teams to beat this time around.
With 13 titles to their name, USA are the most successful nation in Billie Jean King Cup Juniors history and claimed five out of the last six titles dating back to 2017.
USA and Mexico also emerged from final qualifying in the North/Central American and Caribbean region and will now take place at the Davis Cup Juniors Finals.
A venue and dates for the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors Finals and Davis Cup Juniors Finals – the 16-and-under team extravaganza – will be announced in due course.
Final qualification has also taken place in the Asia/Oceania region for the 2024 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals, which will be held at the TK Agrofert in Prostejov, Czechia from 5-10 August.
Korea, Rep., Japan, Australia and Chinese Taipei are the girls’ teams that have reached the Finals, while Japan, India and Korea, Rep. are the boys’ teams to have qualified.
This year marks a very special occasion as it is the 25th anniversary of Prostejov first hosting the tournament, which was originally held in Yamanakako and then Nagoya in Japan from 1991-1998 before switching to Czechia.
ITF World Junior Tennis is a tournament with a rich history and it is a true festival of junior tennis, with players wearing their nation’s colours with pride – just as professionals do in Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup.
Indeed, many of today’s top players have honed their skills at the event, going on to represent their nations at senior level, as well as earning individual honours at the Grand Slams and on the ATP and WTA Tours.
The likes of Carlos Alcaraz, 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.
The qualification process for the regions of Africa, South America and Europe in respect of Billie Jean King Cup Juniors, Davis Cup Juniors and ITF World Junior Tennis are still to be concluded.
All three Finals follow a similar formula, with the 16 qualifying nations split into round-robin groups with the best-performing nations reaching the knockout stage from where world champions will be crowned.