If the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals are the playground for the world’s best in the 14-and-under age category, then Kazakhstan are most certainly the new kids on the block.

Navigating Asia Oceania qualifying is no mean feat, and by doing so Kazakhstan reached the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals, which have featured on the junior calendar since 1991, for the first time in history.

Indeed, it is the first time that Kazakhstan will contest the finals of any of the ITF’s flagship junior events, including Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas.

Consequently, when Zangar Nurlanuly, Damir Zhalgasbay and Daniel Tazabekov take to the clay courts of Prostejov on Monday 1 August, it will represent a hugely significant moment for an increasingly ambitious nation.

“For me, the players and all of our country, this is a proud moment,” Kazakhstan captain Sergey Kvak told itftennis.com. “It is the first time in history that Kazakhstan have qualified for the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals, and we are so proud to be among the best in the world.

“This is a new experience for us and, given it’s our first time here, I don’t know what is possible to achieve but I hope we can make the play-offs and be in the top eight, which would reflect our seeding.

“But just being here is so important. The president of our federation, Bulat Utemuratov, has done a magnificent job in making tennis popular within our country and we hope we will be the first of many Kazakh teams to reach major junior finals.”

Kvak’s sentiments are echoed throughout the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation and to be represented in the finals of a major junior competition was an overriding aim for the national association at the start of the season.

The Kazakhstan teams bidding to reach the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals and Junior Davis and Junior Billie Jean King Cup Finals underwent a week-long training camp in India before April’s qualifying action in New Delhi began in earnest.

In short, there was an intent and focus and results across the board improved considerably compared to recent years, with their under-14 boys doing enough to book their ticket to Prostejov. In that regard, mission accomplished.

However, attention now turns to the Finals themselves and Nurlanuly, Zhalgasbay and Tazabekov will pit their wits against a host of powerful contemporaries and some of the finest players on the planet in this age group.

Kazakhstan have been seeded No. 8 in the boys’ competition and drawn in Group A alongside top seeds and defending champions Italy, Ecuador and Argentina. They begin proceedings against Ecuador on Monday and there is a palpable sense of excitement within the camp.

“I am really happy to represent Kazakhstan and I cannot wait to get out on court,” Nurlanuly told itftennis.com. “I will try to do my best in this tournament, be strong with my team and help my nation be the best we can.”

For Nurlanuly and his teammates there is plenty of inspiration to draw upon, with Kazakhstan producing a series of solid Davis Cup teams which, in reaching five quarter-finals since 2011, have persistently punched above their weight.

In November, meanwhile, Kazakhstan will compete at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the first time, while only weeks ago Elena Rybakina conquered all before her at Wimbledon to claim her maiden Grand Slam title in stunning style.

“Our teenagers admire deeply the likes of Alexander Bublik and Mikhail Kukushkin, while Rybakina won the first Grand Slam for our country,” added Kvek. “It’s magnificent and each of our guys want to try and follow in their footsteps and be Kazakhstan’s best.”

Kazakhstan’s march to the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals has not gone unnoticed and has certainly captured the imagination back home, while there will undoubtedly be much hype and curiosity as the tournament unfolds.

One very interested observer will be Irina Black (née Selyutina), who was a highly successful junior player – winning two Junior Grand Slam doubles titles in late 1990s – before embarking on a professional career.

While she never contested the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals, Black understands the importance of the player pathway and within that, the significance of team competition, and is eager to pass on her encouragement to the class of 2022.

“It has been an extraordinary year for Kazakhstan tennis and it’s always great to hear when people from your country do well, but when the whole team gets into the finals, it fills you with national pride on another level,” Black, who was named an ITF World Champion in 1997, told itftennis.com.

“Being part of a team and winning junior competitions did not only shape and advance my tennis career, but also my personal life. I found new confidence in myself and made friends. I think when you are part of a team, you try harder and it brings a better person in you.

“I am thrilled for the players who have reached the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals. I am also thrilled for their support team and KTF president, Mr Utemuratov, who has dedicated many years of his life to get tennis in Kazakhstan on the international level.

“No matter what happens this week, the Kazakhstan players have made history and they should not forget that, nor should they forget to enjoy the moment. The whole of Kazakhstan is proud of them.”