The Race to compete at the Junior Tour’s season-ending extravaganza is hotting up, with just four weeks to go until the October 7th cut-off date and 50 days until the 2024 Junior Masters kicks off on 23rd October.
Let’s take a look at the current Race to Monte-Carlo standings:
BOYS’ 16 & UNDER: Da Rosa Castro holds on, Urbanski makes a move...
- For a 13th straight week, and 21 weeks in total, Portuguese player Gonçalo Da Rosa Castro holds firm at number one, thanks to two titles from three finals this season
- Pole Jan Urbanski won in front of a home crowd in Warsaw at the weekend (see below). His first Category 1 title has propelled him 7 spots up to share second spot alongside the recent Sarajevo champion, Mark Becirovic Novak (SLO)
- Jan Skrzynski is another Polish player doing well. His 4 titles from 5 finals this year have kept him in the top 6 for the better part of the spring and summer, as can be said for Rodrigo Duarte (POR), although he has slipped to #6 this week from a previous peak of #1
GIRLS’ 16 & UNDER: Kovacevic Stands Out
- After a three-way tie at the top a few weeks ago, Bosnian Tea Kovacevic has stamped her authority with back-to-back Cat.1 wins in Sarajevo and Warsaw in the last 2 weeks to break away from the pack (side note: the ITF/Tennis Europe Touring Team member has won a Tour-leading 9 titles in total this year so far across both 16&U and 14&U events)
- Having spent several weeks at #1 thanks to a great start of the season, Vlada Razina has fallen to #4 but, with 960 points, is still out ahead of the rest of the pack
- Speaking of which, there are only 230 points separating twelve players ranked 5th to equal 14th: the last month of the Race will be interesting indeed!
BOYS’ 14 & UNDER: Rule, Britannia!
- An unprecedented trio of British players dominate the Race due in no small part to their run to the finals at both the Winter and Summer Cups as well as amazing individual results throughout the season.
- Niall Pickerd-Barua led the list for the greater part of the season until Spring. Scott Watson won in Bucharest (Cat.1) in May, while Eric Lorimer came into great form to go on a winning streak to win Maia (Super Category), Piestany (Cat.1) and London (Cat.1) to increase his lead at the top of the Race.
- Very little separates those in the chasing pack, all of whom have either won or played in multiple finals this season. Andrei Radu (ROU), Stan Put (NED), Johann Nagel-Heyer (GER) and Izan Bañares (ESP) are all within 100 points of #3 Watson
GIRLS’ 14 & UNDER: Surprise at the top...
- 2023 champion Jana Kovackova (CZE) is a strong favourite to become the first player ever to defend the Girls 14 & Under title, but following a string of prestigious tournaments early in the season, she has recently lost the Race top spot.
- Viktorija Cesonyte (GER) has earned her #1 spot with big results in recent weeks: a win in Düren (Super Category) coupled with semifinal appearances at Cat.1 events in Renningen and Alicante
- Türkiye’s Ayse Bal has rejoined the chat, holding at #8 this week while two more Czechs Laura Chlumska and Katerina Zajickova remain steady at #3 and #4 respectively. In the middle chunk we find more tournament winners Anastasiia Nikolaieva (UKR), Maria Valentina Pop (ROU) and Megan Knight (GBR).
LOOKING AHEAD: Last chances to earn big points
The 14&U Race rankings have not seen much movement of late. However, we can expect some major shake-ups, as the 14&U European Junior Championships get under way next Monday in Most (CZE). The 16&U Race will also see some significant re-shuffling, when Parma (ITA) again hosts the Championships in the week of September 23rd.
Furthermore, the final week of the Race sees Category 1 events in Barcelona (14&U) and Humenne (16&U), a last opportunity for players to bank those all-important points just in time for the October 7th points update.
Who will experience life like the pros at the iconic Monte-Carlo Country Club? Who will win a one week’s stay at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy? And who will join the likes of Diana Schnaider, Alexander Zverev, Rafa Nadal and Kim Clijsters as Junior Masters champions? Time will tell!
Note: The Tennis Europe Junior Masters will gather:
- The winner or runner-up (if winner is not available) of the 2024 European Junior Championships
- One (1) wild card, to be allocated by Tennis Europe.
- The six top ranked players of the Race to Monte-Carlo European boys and girls of both categories 14 and 16 & Under according to the ranking published on Monday 7th October 2024.