The highlight of the Junior Tour calendar is just around the corner. 440 players from 44 countries are gathering at three venues to compete at the European Junior Championships.
The events will be played from 18-24 July at the following venues:
- Most, Czech Republic (14 & Under)
- Prerov, Czech Republic (16 & Under)
- Klosters, Switzerland (18 & Under)
This flagship competition was first played in 1976 and has been the Tour’s most prestigious title ever since. From the quality of the draws to the spectacular atmosphere, the European Junior Championships are an essential step for these aspiring players. You can follow the action online with live scoring and live streaming available during the week.
14 & Under
The 14 & Under nominations are particularly impressive. Current girls’ #1 Alena Kovackova shows no sign of losing the top spot and has added multiple trophies to her list lately. The Czech player won the Super Category tournament in Maia, Portugal, and is already performing impressively in the 16 & Under category, having won four titles this year. Her compatriot Laura Samsonova is coming on strong too. Since winning last years’ Juniors Masters, she has been Alena’s closest rival. The pair are also part of the Czech national team together with Eliska Forejtkova, now ranked 2, and together the three won this year’s 14 & Under Europa Cup just a few weeks ago.
The boys’ list features 8 of the current Top 10 players. #1-ranked Ivan Ivanov (BUL) will be looking to protect his lead at the top of the rankings, but there are only 50 points between #2 Niels McDonald (a Cat.1 winner last week in Paris) and #7 Nikita Bilozertsev (UKR) who is level with Ivanov at 1-1 in final encounters this season. Ivanov arrives in Most after playing at Wimbledon’s new 14&U event, where he lost a nail-biting semi-final to the eventual champion Se Hyuk Cho (KOR) 6-7 6-1 9-11.
16 & Under
Tereza Valentova (CZE), already in the ITF 18 & Under Top 30, is the favorite for the 16 & Under girls’ draw. Having won the 14 & Under title last year, she could follow in the footsteps of some of the greats of the game - including former world #1s Mats Wilander, Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis - to claim titles in multiple age categories. Her biggest rival could be Rose Marie Nijkamp (NED), fresh from SW19 where she won the Wimbledon girls’ doubles title.
Chasing the boys’ title will be Maxim Mrva from the Czech Republic. Last year’s Les Petits As champion and Junior Masters qualifier, the Czech has been playing multiple semifinals and finals on the ITF circuit this year. His opponent from last year’s tournament in France, Federico Cina (ITA) has also already had promising results playing ITF matches. European #1 Martin Landaluce is another player to watch. In 2022, the Spanish teenager has won 5 ITF titles and made it to the semi-final at Wimbledon Juniors.
18 & Under
The 18 & Under entry lists are full of players who arrive in Klosters fresh from competing at Wimbledon. One of those is Jakub Mensik (CZE), who has already claimed two ITF titles in 2022 and reached the final at the Australian Open. Home hope Kilian Feldbausch was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon last week and will be hoping to become the first Swiss boy to win in Klosters. The timing would be special given that the venue is celebrating its 25th edition as hosts.
The same goes for the girls’ draw, where we have the Belgian Sofia Costoulas (#3) who has proven she is capable of big things, as she reached the final of the Australian Open at the beginning of the year and is holding 4 ITF titles. The attention will be split between her and other powerful players like Europe’s top ranked 16-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova (CZE). The former Junior Tour #1 has won 4 out of 6 finals this year, including an ITF $25,000 event held at the same venue, and Celine Naef (SUI), with two trophies under her belt. Big things will also be expected of Luca Udvardy (HUN), who just made a great step forward in her young career with a runner-up spot at Wimbledon.
The 18 & Under Championships count towards the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior rankings, while the 14 and 16 & Under events offer the most ranking points of any event on the Tennis Europe Junior rankings. The winner and runner-up of the two younger age groups each also receive an invitation to compete at the season-ending Junior Masters, which will be held in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, during the last week of October.
In addition to the on-court action, all three European Championship venues will also host a special session of the Junior School, the innovative educational programme designed to prepare junior players for life as tennis professionals.
Player Nominations | Draws and schedules for the first day of European Championship play will be published on the evening of Sunday 17th July. Check back here throughout the week for all the latest results, photos, social media chatter and live scores/streaming.