Ten junior players to keep an eye on during 2025 | ITF

Ten junior players to keep an eye on during 2025

Ross McLean

07 Jan 2025

With the 2025 Australian Open Junior Championships – the first Junior Grand Slam of the season – fast approaching, here are 10 junior players to keep an eye on this season.

Now, it is important to say that there are far more than 10 talented players primed to make their mark this season and beyond. This is just a subjective list to get the conversation going and whet the appetite for what promises to be another rip-roaring year.

Players like Australia’s Emerson Jones, who has hit the headlines on her WTA main draw debut at the Adelaide International this week, remain eligible to play juniors. 

The Queenslander would most certainly feature in any discussion about players likely to be at the business end of junior tournaments in 2025. Other players such as Great Britain's Mika Stojsavljevic also fall into this category.

This list focuses more on the next wave of potential winners of big junior events. Here goes...

Jeline Vandromme (BEL): Two J300 titles in 2024 coupled with two quarter-final finishes at Junior Grand Slams suggest Vandromme's talent is coming to the fore and she has the potential to make a significant splash this season.

Andres Santamarta Roig (ESP): Fresh from becoming the first Spaniard this century to win the Orange Bowl – his fourth, and best, title of 2024 – in December, there is plenty of chatter about this 17-year-old.

Kristina Penickova (USA): One half of a deadly double act, with her and twin sister Annika having seven doubles titles on their career CVs already. The 15-year-old, who won the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Juniors with USA in 2024, is very highly rated.

Amir Omarkhanov (KAZ): There or thereabouts – possibly more thereabouts in fairness – in 2024, he would appear to have the tools and be on a trajectory to mix it with the best around this season. 

Mingge Xu (GBR): Made a big statement in August 2024 when she lifted silverware at W35 Aldershot to claim her first pro title on the ITF World Tennis Tour Women’s. A run to the semi-finals at the US Open Junior Championships followed.

Jack Kennedy (USA): Four titles – two at J300 level – and a leading role as USA claimed victory at the 2024 Davis Cup Juniors Finals, Kennedy is ticking all the boxes of someone ready to make their presence felt.

Jana Kovackova (CZE): The 14-year-old was the most successful girl on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors in 2024, winning a combined 17 titles (eight singles and nine doubles). This was the most since 1994 when Argentina's Federico Browne won 21. Eight singles titles was also the most of any junior player last year.

Jagger Leach (USA): Lindsay Davenport's son is another to have won four titles in 2024. His run to the quarter-finals at the Junior Championships, Wimbledon showcased his game’s considerable substance. 

Elizara Yaneva (BUL): The biggest title of her career at J500 Merida in December followed by a run to the Orange Bowl final a few weeks later suggests the 17-year-old is ready to unleash the full force of her talents in 2025.

Henry Bernet (SUI): A stylish player who has been likened to the great Roger Federer. Impossibly big shoes to fill but the 17-year-old is certainly one to keep a close eye on in 2025.

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