Eyes are firmly on the most prestigious event for 16 & under players, as 32 nations prepare for battle and the honour of being crowned as winners of Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas at Club Mega Saray in Antalya, Turkey this week.
It seems such a long time since the 2019 Finals when Japan’s boys and the girls of the United States were named the best teams on the planet in the 16-and-under age category.
The 2020 Finals were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and much has changed since, including the rebranding of the girls’ competition after Fed Cup evolved into Billie Jean King Cup.
This year’s showdown, which takes place from 28 September – 3 October, will be the first Finals since the creation of Billie Jean King Cup, and subsequently Junior Billie Jean King Cup, so the 16 girls’ teams on show in Antalya will have the added incentive of becoming the first winners of the rebranded tournament.
There is motivation at every turn, however when the action gets underway on Tuesday, not only will players be representing their nation and bidding to win silverware for the countries which have helped nurture their talent, they have the chance to follow in some lofty footsteps.
Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup contribute significantly to a player’s development, particularly through the prism of team play, which is a rare and exciting experience in an individual sport like tennis.
The opening ceremony followed the draw for the two competitions, as the excitement builds ahead of tomorrow’s opening day of action.
Czech Republic are the No. 1 seeds in both boys and girls events and will fancy their chances for topping the podium finish.
With the 16 teams in each draw now divided into four round-robin groups, the four group winners and four runners-up will progress to the quarter-finals.
The groupings after the draw are as follows as the exciting turn of events await us in next few days:
Junior Billie Jean King Cup Finals
Group A: Czech Republic (1), Argentina (5), Egypt, Peru
Group B: Canada (3), Hungary (6), Turkey, Germany
Group C: Romania (4), Japan (7), Chile, Morocco
Group D: Russia (2), Thailand (8), Hong Kong, Mexico
Junior Davis Cup Finals
Group A: Czech Republic (1), Japan (6), Chile, Turkey
Group B: Mexico (3), Bulgaria (7), Tunisia, Russia
Group C: Germany (4), Brazil (5), Argentina, Korea
Group D: France (2), Hong Kong (8), Canada, Egypt
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