Korneeva and Schwaerzler triumph at ITF Junior Finals in Chengdu
Alina Korneeva and Joel Schwaerzler are today celebrating their latest triumph after topping the podium at the 2023 ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals in Chengdu, China.
Austria's Schwaerzler, who is coached by former world No. 8 Jurgen Melzer, scooped the top prize after dispatching Mexico’s Rodrigo Pacheco in a pulsating boys’ final having overcome Bulgaria’s Iliyan Radulov in the semis.
Korneeva, meanwhile, beat Sara Saito in the girls’ finale, regaining her composure after losing to the Japanese during the round-robin stage before advancing to the last four where she beat Clervie Ngounoue of the United States.
Victory at the ITF Junior Finals is another high point in a stunning season for Korneeva, who became the youngest player in history to claim a W100 title when she conquered all before her at W100 Figueira da Foz in July.
W100s are the highest classification of event on the ITF World Tennis Tour Women’s and to win on such a stage is a significant statement for an aspiring 16-year-old.
Korneeva also has two Junior Grand Slams to her name this season after lifting silverware at the Australian Open and Roland Garros – the first girl to secure back-to-back Junior Grand Slam titles since Belinda Bencic in 2013.
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“Big thanks for the congratulations, I am very happy about this week, my game and my whole year,” Korneeva told itftennis.com. “I decided to change some things from my match with Sara the other day and it helped.
“I tried not to think about the first match and I tried to miss less balls than Sara, and just tried to play like this the whole match. I just thought about the point I was playing and kept thinking, ‘don’t miss’.
“This is a really good tournament and I think the best thing here is the people. I have had a lot of support from a lot of fans and I want to say a big thank you to them. Thank you to all the kind and smiley people.”
Schwaerzler, 17, has also enjoyed a productive campaign and his success at the ITF Junior Finals made it two titles in as many weeks after he claimed victory at J500 Osaka days before arriving in Chengdu.
“I am incredibly happy,” Schwaerzler told itftennis.com. “It was a great match against Rodrigo, who is a really good friend. We were roommates this week and we have had a lot of fun together. I was so happy to share the court with him in the final.
“I was mentally good the last few days. The mental side of things has been one of my biggest problems but in the last 2-3 months I have really handled it well, and I am really happy about that.
“There were times during the final when the inside of me was not calm at all, but I managed not to show it and managed to finish the match the way I wanted to. I enjoyed it and I have really enjoyed the whole week. The opportunity to play on stages like this is incredible.”
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Victory has earned Korneeva and Schwaerzler 750 ranking points which will boost their quest to finish the 2023 season as the year-end junior world No. 1. In turn, this may well see them benefit from the Junior Exempt and Junior Accelerator programmes.
Korneeva has indeed returned to No. 1 spot in the ITF World Tennis Tour girls' rankings following the ITF Junior Finals, while Schwaerzler has jumped four places to No. 3 in the boys' rankings.
Furthermore, all players on show in Chengdu will receive travel grants to support their future progression to professional tennis. Korneeva and Schwaerzler will receive $17,000 USD, with the grants staggered so those in eighth position receive $6,000.
But the ITF Juniors Finals are about more than just on-courts results, with the tournament offering significant developmental opportunities for all 16 players and the two alternates (Tianhui Zhang and Yichen Zhao) – a new concept in 2023.
As well as the actual tennis, players have been immersed within Chinese culture all week and have been given a flavour of what life may be like in the future when competing at professional events.
This has been the case since the inaugural ITF Juniors Finals in 2015 and the back catalogue of players to have competed in Chengdu reflects the role of the tournament within the ITF player pathway.
Grand Slam champions Marketa Vondrousova, Elena Rybakina, Sofia Kenin and Jelena Ostapenko have all competed at the ITF Junior Finals, as have Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Leylah Fernandez, Lorenzo Musetti and Marta Kostyuk.
The class of 2023 are keeping very good company.
Click here to re-watch the title-winning matches at the 2023 ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals