Junior Davis Cup, Junior Billie Jean King Cup: Ones to watch – Part 1
It goes without saying that no two players are the same and development rates are vastly different. As such, lists of this nature are always highly subjective. However, speaking to captains and coaches at Club Mega Saray in Antalya, certain names tended to crop up consistently when discussing those to watch most closely going forward. There was a huge amount of talent on show at the Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Finals and, in a sense, it is unfair to highlight just six players. Nevertheless, while this group is by no means exhaustive and merely an indication as to who caught the eye during a fantastic week of on-court action, here is itftennis.com's Ones to Watch.
A name whose inclusion on this list is unlikely to surprise. Fruhvirtova was the youngest player competing in Antalya by some considerable margin; aged just 14 she was the only competitor to have a 2007 birthdate.
Nevertheless, her on-court prowess was witnessed by all as Czech Republic justified their billing as top seeds to top the Junior Billie Jean King Cup podium and be named the world’s best girls’ team in the 16-and-under age category.
She returned an 8-0 win-loss record across both singles and doubles during the week without dropping a set. In fact, in her five singles matches, she only lost 10 games in total – a phenomenal record.
Fruhvirtova entered the Finals on the back of winning J1 Charleroi-Marcinelle – her third junior title of 2021 – and is ranked No. 24 in the junior world rankings, all of which, especially given her age, speaks volumes.
Fruhvirtova, whose elder sister Linda has won two ITF World Tennis Tour titles this season, was also a member of the Czech team which claimed victory at the 2019 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals in Prostejov. In short, she has long since been tipped for a bright future.
Czech captain David Skoch certainly believes Fruhvirtova, like the other Czech girls – Nikola Bartunkova and Sara Bejlek – on show in Antalya, have significant potential.
“Winning this tournament will motivate them a lot and becoming the best team in the world is a big motivation for them,” Skoch told itftennis.com. “But they have to work really hard all the time and we’ll see what the future brings.
“That said, all three girls are really good and I think they will have a good chance to go really high in the WTA rankings. Let’s hope they do it really soon.”
Pacheco started playing tennis in the Mexican city of Merida at the age of three, but for a time his true love was football and at one stage that looked as though it would be his sport of choice.
However, after watching his first tennis tournament with his father at the age seven, his sporting allegiances changed and he knew then that he wanted to pursue a career in tennis and to hopefully turn professional one day.
Now 16, Pacheco has enjoyed a highly productive 2021 season, which has seen him win four ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors singles titles and three in doubles, meaning he now boasts a combined junior world ranking of No. 66.
This represents considerable progress after finishing 2020 with a year-end ranking of No. 212, while he has also had exposure to the professional ranks this campaign, although he lost the only match he has contested at M15 Cairo last month.
In Antalya, Pacheco came to the fore once more. He returned a 9-2 win-loss record overall but won all six of his singles matches, while on four occasions he was required to haul Mexico level after his nation had lost the opening singles match.
During the semi-finals he faced France's Gabriel Debru and recovered from a set down to win one of the finest adverts there has possibly ever been for this tournament and junior tennis in general. It was a match that would not have looked out of place far higher up the tennis pyramid.
In the end, however, France prevailed in the doubles, although Mexico still enjoyed a fantastic tournament, and their third-placed finish was their best Junior Davis Cup performance in history. Pacheco was a major part of that.
Taking inspiration from Rafael Nadal – a childhood selfie boosted his admiration for the Spaniard – fellow left-hander Pacheco certainly fits the one to watch bill. “I would like to be in the top 15 or 25 in the world in the next three to four years,” he told itftennis.com. That is the level of the teenager's ambition.
Mboko is a tall, powerful and attack-minded competitor who has caught the eye of many over recent years, including those at the 2019 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals in Prostejov, as she continues to progress along the player pathway.
The 15-year-old, who was born in Charlotte in North Carolina but now resides in Toronto, once again showcased those qualities and many more at the Junior Billie Jean King Cup Finals as Canada finished a credible fifth – their best performance since 2017.
Mboko returned a 6-2 win-loss record across singles and doubles, with enough notable performances to confirm her inclusion in debates and discussions about those players with the brightest of futures.
She has, after all, enjoyed a blistering season and is currently ranked No. 72 in the junior world rankings, having ended the previous campaign with a combined ranking of No. 310. There has been considerable progress and plenty of on-court quality in 2021.
Earlier in the year, Mboko peaked at No. 55 as three singles titles, including a career-best win at J2 Tashkent, and as many doubles crowns fuelled her charge up the rankings.
Factor in Canada’s production line of talent in recent years and Mboko would appear to have a chance. After all, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Bianca Andreescu, Denis Shapovalov and Leylah Fernandez have all featured at the Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup Finals since 2015. In terms of Mboko's future, watch this space might be the best advice.