Travel Grant Prize Fund Confirmed for 2016 ITF Junior Masters

The ITF today announced that a total prize fund of $160,000 in travel grants will be made available to participants in the second ITF Junior Masters to be held in Chengdu, China on 8-10 April 2016. The event enjoyed a successful launch in 2015, with Russia’s Andrey Rublev and China’s Shilin Xu, both former junior world number ones, claiming the men’s and women’s titles respectively.

The ITF Junior Masters is an international event showcasing eight male and eight female players who qualify on the basis of their 18-and-under ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of the year. The ITF Junior Masters consists of two knock-out singles events, with each player guaranteed three matches to determine their final finishing position and level of grant. Players will also compete for wild cards into professional events, with further details to be confirmed next year.

The provision of travel grants is one of the ways in which the ITF Junior Masters assists these top juniors in making a transition from junior tennis to the professional game. Each player to qualify for the 2016 ITF Junior Masters will earn a minimum travel grant of $7,000, while the boys’ and girls’ champions will both be awarded $15,000 travel grants.

The 2016 ITF Junior Masters will take place at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu as part of a three-year agreement with the Chinese Tennis Association and the Chengdu Sport Bureau.

The Sichuan International Tennis Centre, which was built in 2008 and consists of 12 match courts and 20 practice courts, has hosted a number of international events. The ITF Junior Masters is staged on two match courts, including a 6000-capacity stadium court, with matches broadcast by Sichuan TV and streamed live over the three days.

The ITF Junior Masters joins the ITF junior team competitions, the 14-and-under ITF World Junior Tennis competition, and 16-and-under Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, as the premier junior events on the 2016 ITF calendar.

ITF President David Haggerty said: “Following the success of the first ITF Junior Masters in 2015, we are looking forward to a great edition in 2016. I am confident that the amazing fans in Chengdu will once again throw their support behind the top junior players, who are competing for travel grants, helping them to transition into the professional ranks.

Ms Tan Xuejun, Director of Chengdu Sports Bureau, said: “We were proud of the successful staging of the 2015 ITF Junior Masters, and are grateful for the support of the ITF, the citizens of Chengdu, and the players themselves for some memorable performances. The Masters fully embodied the slogan ‘Me, Future’ and attracted much interest around the world. We are confident that the 2016 edition of the event will be even better.”

Madam Li Lingwei, Vice-President of the Chinese Tennis Association and IOC member, said: “The ITF Junior Masters is a milestone event in junior tennis, contributing significantly to the development of the sport both in China and worldwide. By hosting the Junior Masters in China we hope that the next generation of Chinese players will be inspired to take up the sport. In 2016, the China Tennis Association, working closely with Chengdu City, will make the second ITF Junior Masters even more exciting.”

Ma Long Edges Closer to History at the ITTF China Open

2015 World Champion, MA Long, has taken one more step closer to creating history by winning his 20th ITTF World Tour title today at the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour China Open.

MA edged closer to the legendary Vladimir SAMSONOV’s record of 26 ITTF World Tour titles, with an impressive victory over world number two, XU Xin, in Dujiangyan, Chengdu.

The world number one, who had to come from behind in the semifinal to beat lowly ranked Yuya OSHIMA from Japan, was simply too powerful for his team mate XU in the final, prevailing 13-15, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10, 11-9.

After the match the 26 year old stated: “This is the sixth time I have won the China Open, so it is very special to me. It also takes me one step closer to SAMSOMSOV’s ITTF World Tour record. XU is always a very tough opponent. I knew I had to be in my best form to defeat him, and thankfully today I was in front this awesome crowd here.”

ZHU Yuling, who is from the Sichuan province, used her home ground advantage perfectly, as she blew the current World Champion DING Ning off the court in a ruthless display in front of the capacity crowd.

The 20 year old won her second ITTF World Tour title surprisingly easy 11-9, 11-4, 13-11, 11-8 to claim gold at the final ITTF World Tour Super Series event of the year.

“I really felt the support today from my local crowd” stated the world number three,” and I know DING Ning is an amazing player, so I needed to be at the top of my game. It was a surprise that I played so well and won 4-0. This was because I put all my heart and soul into match. I am so happy to be the champion!”

It was defeat for XU Xin in the men’s singles, but a win in the men’s doubles as he teamed up with FAN Zhendong to defeat FANG Bo & ZHU Linfeng (CHN) 10-12, 11-6, 7-11, 8-11, 9-11 in the final.

Ma Long & Zhu Yuling are the 2015 ITTF China Open Champions

LIU Shiwen made up for her disappointing semifinal loss against ZHU Yuling by teaming up with CHEN Meng to claim the women’s doubles title. The Chinese duo defeated their teammates GU Yuting & MU Zi 11-3, 11-9, 11-8 to ensure that they both don’t go home empty handed.

In the under 21 singles, Hitomi SATO from Japan won an extraordinary fifth women’s title in 2015 and seventh overall to confirm herself as the dominant under 21 player on the planet.

The men’s under 21 title went to the 2013 Junior World Champion JANG Woojin from Korea, who is quickly establishing himself as a future star of the sport.

The world’s best players now head to Bulgaria for the GAC Group 2015 World Tour Bulgaria Open, which starts on 19 August 2015 in Panagyurishte.

Star Studded Field Set to Compete at ITTF World Tour China Open

A repeat of the epic 2014 Men’s World Cup Final clash between MA Long and ZHANG Jike will not be possible at the GAC Group 2015 World Tour China Open, as they have been drawn in the same half.

Despite this, fans in Chengdu, China will be treated to one of the strongest World Tour tournaments in recent history, with nine out of the top ten men, and eight out of the top ten women all competing in the sixth and final Super Series event of the year.

Qualifications for the main draw starts today, 5 August 2015, with players battling to join the world’s best players in the main draw, which starts Friday, 7 August, with the medals being handed out on Sunday, 9 August!

If current World Champion MA Long, is to win a record fourth China Open title in a row and sixth overall, he will have to overcome players he has had tough battles with in the past. The world number one is due to play FANG Bo, whom he defeated earlier in the year in the World Championships final, and face his archrival ZHANG Jike in the semi final.

Fan Zhendong (CHN) .QOROS 2015 World Table Tennis Championships,26 Apr 2015 – 03 May 2015, Suzhou, CHN credit ITTF Media

“I always enjoy playing in front of my home fans.” stated MA.”It would mean a lot to me to win my sixth China Open title. It won’t be easy as the world’s best players are here, but I will try my best to be the champion!”

It won’t be just these players threatening MA Long’s quest for a 20th World Tour title. Top stars such as XU Xin, FAN Zhendong, Dimitrij OVTCHAROV, Timo BOLL and Marcos FREITAS will also have their eye on securing the prestigious China Open title.

Anticipation is high for the women’s event as well, as a rematch of one of the most dramatic World Championships finals in history between DING Ning and LIU Shiwen is on the cards on Sunday.

After the draw, the world number one stated: “I know everyone is looking forward to watching me play LIU Shiwen again. However, this competition is very strong, with many top players, so I will have to play well just to get to the final, as will LIU.”

As stated by DING, the field here in Chengdu is very strong, with ZHU Yuling, CHEN Meng, FENG Tianwei, Ai FUKUHARA, Kasumi ISHIKAWA and Mima ITO all looking to make sure that a repeat of the 2015 World Championships final does not come to fruition.

14th stop of the US$3,000,000 GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour, the China Open is also the sixth and final Super Series event of the year, which is the top tier on the World Tour. The rest of the World Tour events are split into Major series (6 events) and Challenge (11 events).

All players will be pushing for Race to Lisbon points in a bid to qualify for the World Tour Grand Finals. The top 16 singles and top eight doubles pairs on the Race to Lisbon Standings will be invited to the prestigious 2015 World Tour Grand Finals to be held in Lisbon, Portugal on 10-13 December 2015.

The GAC Group 2015 World Tour is offering a record US$3,000,000 in prize money, and will also be the most viewed in history, with more events shown live throughout the world on television, and all the events being shown live on ITTF’s live streaming platform, ITTF.com/itTV

ITF JUNIOR MASTERS RESULTS: 5 April 2015

Andrey Rublev (RUS) defeated Taylor Fritz (USA) 67(2) 63 64 to be crowned men’s ITF Junior Masters champion and Xu Shilin (CHN) overcame Kristina Schmiedlova (SVK) 64 62 to win the women’s ITF Junior Masters title. Both champions will receive a travel grant of $15,000 and the pick of three wild cards, including the ATP World Tour 500 event in Valencia and the ATP World Tour 250 qualifying event in Gstaad.

The ITF Junior Masters featured eight male and eight female players who qualified on the basis of their 18-and-under ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of 2014. Both draws were played on a knock-out basis with positional play-offs, with each player guaranteed three matches to determine their final position between first and eighth. The 16 competitors also competed for a total prize fund of $160,000 in travel grants, and wild cards that have been offered by the ITF’s member nations and professional tournaments.

To review all the coverage of the ITF Junior Masters visit the match centre on the ITF Juniors website: http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/tournaments/itf-junior-masters.aspx.

Results

Men’s Singles final

No. 1 Andrey Rublev (RUS) d. Taylor Fritz (USA) 67(2) 63 64

Women’s Singles final

No. 1 Xu Shilin (CHN) d. Kristina Schmiedlova (SVK) 64 62

Men’s Singles 3rd-4th play-off

Duck Hee Lee (KOR) d. No. 2 Orlando Luz (BRA) 63 75

Women’s Singles 3rd-4th play-off

No. 2 Iryna Shymanovich (BLR) d. Jil Teichmann (SUI) 62 62

Men’s Singles 5th-6th play-off

Chung Yunseong (KOR) d. Michael Mmoh (USA) 57 75 75

Women’s Singles 5th-6th play-off

Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov (ESP) d. Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 61 76(1)

Men’s Singles 7th-8th play-off

Marcelo Zormann (BRA) d. Jaume Munar (ESP) 64 63

Women’s Singles 7th-8th play-off

Elena Gabriela Ruse (ROU) d. Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) 75 ret.

Matches carried over from Saturday 4 April:

Women’s Singles semifinal

No. 1 Xu Shilin (CHN) d. Jil Teichmann (SUI) 76(4) 46 63

Women’s Singles 5th-8th place play-off

Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) d. Elena Gabriela Ruse (ROU) 62 36 62

ITF JUNIOR MASTERS RESULTS: 4 April 2015

Rain stopped play with two women’s singles matches still to finish. Play will resume at 10am (2am GMT) on Sunday.

The ITF Junior Masters features eight male and eight female players who qualified on the basis of their 18-and-under ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of 2014. Both draws are being played on a knock-out basis with positional play-offs, with each player guaranteed three matches to determine their final position between first and eighth. The 16 competitors are also competing for a total prize fund of $160,000 in travel grants, and wild cards that have been offered by the ITF’s member nations and professional tournaments.

Live coverage of the ITF Junior Masters is available on the ITF Juniors website match centre: http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/tournaments/itf-junior-masters.aspx. The match centre features an interactive live blog, live scores, news articles, photographs and the latest results. Matches are also being streamed live on http://www.tennisjuniortv.com

Results

Men’s Singles semifinals

No. 1 Andrey Rublev (RUS) d. Duck Hee Lee (KOR) 63 46 64
Taylor Fritz (USA) d. No. 2 Orlando Luz (BRA) 62 36 61

Women’s Singles semifinals

No. 1 Xu Shilin (CHN) v Jil Teichmann (SUI) not played due to rain
Kristina Schmiedlova (SVK) d. No. 2 Iryna Shymanovich (BLR) 63 36 64

Men’s Singles 5th-8th play-offs

Michael Mmoh (USA) d. Marcelo Zormann (BRA) 61 64
Chung Yunseong (KOR) d. Jaume Munar (ESP) 46 76(2) 64

Women’s Singles 5th-8th play-offs

Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov (ESP) d. Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) 46 76(2) 61
Elena Gabriela Ruse (ROU) v Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 26 1-2 play halted due to rain

ITF JUNIOR MASTERS RESULTS:3 April 2015

The ITF Junior Masters features eight male and eight female players who qualified on the basis of their 18-and-under ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of 2014. Both draws are being played on a knock-out basis with positional play-offs, with each player guaranteed three matches to determine their final position between first and eighth. The 16 competitors are also competing for a total prize fund of $160,000 in travel grants, and wild cards that have been offered by the ITF’s member nations and professional tournaments.

Live coverage of the ITF Junior Masters is available on the ITF Juniors website match centre: http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/tournaments/itf-junior-masters.aspx. The match centre features an interactive live blog, live scores, news articles, photographs and the latest results. Matches are also being streamed live on http://www.tennisjuniortv.com

Results

Men’s Singles first round

No. 1 Andrey Rublev (RUS) d. Michael Mmoh (USA) 64 75
Duck Hee Lee (KOR) d. Marcelo Zormann (BRA) 63 60
Taylor Fritz (USA) d. Jaume Munar (ESP) 60 63
No. 2 Orlando Luz (BRA) d. Chung Yunseong (KOR) 62 67(6) 75

Women’s Singles first round

No. 1 Xu Shilin (CHN) d. Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov (ESP) 63 63
Jil Teichmann (SUI) d. Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) 63 62
Kristina Schmiedlova (SVK) d. Elena Gabriela Ruse (ROU) 61 62
No. 2 Iryna Shymanovich (BLR) d. Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 61 1-0 ret.

Jiri Novak Named Event Ambassador For ITF Junior Masters

Jiri Novak, of the Czech Republic, who won seven singles and 17 doubles titles in an outstanding career, has been named event ambassador for the inaugural ITF Junior Masters in Chengdu, China on 3-5 April 2015.

The ITF Junior Masters will showcase eight male and eight female players who qualified on the basis of their 18-and-under ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of 2014. The event will take place at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu.

In his role as event ambassador, Novak will take part in a mentoring programme that the ITF is providing for players during the competition week. Headed by sports sciences expert and peak performance coach Dr Ann Quinn, the programme will look at the transition to professional tennis and focus on training, competition and developing mental toughness.

Novak, who retired in 2007, was renowned for his strong work ethic and consistent results, and took great pride in representing his country. During a 15-year professional career, he reached a career-high ranking of No. 5 in singles and No. 6 in doubles, and represented Czech Republic in Davis Cup for 11 years and at three Olympic Games. Quinn has a long record as a performance coach, having worked with Pat Cash, Pat Rafter and Shingo Kunieda in tennis and wheelchair tennis, but has also coached Australian cricket team members, boxing and kickboxing world champions and multiple Paralympic gold medallists.

“Jiri Novak is an excellent choice to serve as event ambassador,” said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. “He always showed great professionalism and sportsmanship, and took great pride in playing for Czech Republic. I am all sure the players at the ITF Junior Masters will benefit from his insight.”

Novak said: “I am delighted to have been asked to take part in this inaugural event, and look forward to sharing some of my knowledge and experience with these talented young players. This is an important stage of their careers and I hope they find the week a rewarding experience.”

The mentoring programme is among a number of ways in which the ITF Junior Masters will assist these top juniors in making a transition from junior tennis to the professional game. The 16 competitors will also be competing for a total prize fund of $160,000 in travel grants, alongside wild cards that have been offered by the ITF’s member nations and professional tournaments.

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash of Australia also believes that the ITF Junior Masters will benefit some of the game’s most promising young players. He said: “This is a great initiative for young players of many nations to get together to learn in a competitive situation and at the same time advance their knowledge by interacting with world experts in the many different fields of tennis. This really is an amazing opportunity.”

Twelve countries will be represented in Chengdu. The men’s singles sees ITF world junior champion Andrey Rublev of Russia joined by US duo Taylor Fritz and Michael Mmoh, Orlando Luz and Marcelo Zormann of Brazil, Korea’s Chung Yunseong and Duck Hee Lee, and Spain’s Jaume Munar.Youth Olympic champion Xu Shilin of China heads the women’s entries, alongside Iryna Shymanovich of Belarus, Jil Teichmann of Switzerland, Kristina Schmiedlova of Slovakia, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov of Spain, Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic, and Elena Gabriela Ruse of Romania.

Players Compete For Wild Cards At ITF Junior Masters

The ITF Yesterday announced that 25 member nations and their professional tournaments have offered to donate wild cards to participants in the inaugural ITF Junior Masters in Chengdu, China on 3-5 April 2015.

The ITF Junior Masters is a new international event showcasing eight male and eight female players who qualified on the basis of their 18-and-under ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of 2014. The inaugural event will take place at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu following a three-year agreement with the Chinese Tennis Association and the Chengdu Sport Bureau.

The men’s singles sees ITF world junior champion Andrey Rublev of Russia joined by US duo Taylor Fritz and Michael Mmoh, Orlando Luz and Marcelo Zormann of Brazil, Korea’s Chung Yunseong and Duck Hee Lee, and Spain’s Jaume Munar.

Youth Olympic champion Xu Shilin of China heads the women’s entries, alongside Iryna Shymanovich of Belarus, Jil Teichmann of Switzerland, Kristina Schmiedlova of Slovakia, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov of Spain, Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic, and Elena Gabriela Ruse of Romania.

The ITF Junior Masters will consist of two knock-out singles events, with each player guaranteed three matches to determine their final finishing position.

The provision of wild cards is one of the ways in which the ITF Junior Masters will assist these top juniors in making a transition from junior tennis to the professional game. Member nations and their professional tournaments have already donated 2 ATP World Tour wild cards, 20 ATP Challenger wild cards, 25 ITF Women’s Circuit tournament wild cards at $25,000 level or above, and over 40 wild cards for ITF Men’s and Women’s Circuit events at $10,000 or $15,000 level. Players will have the opportunity to select wild cards for use in 2015 and 2016 in the order of their final finishing positions.

Francesco Ricci Bitti, photo credit ITF.com

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “We are grateful to all the National Associations and tournaments who have offered to donate wild cards for participants in the ITF Junior Masters. This new event will not only showcase some of the world’s most talented young players, but further assist them in their transition to the senior game.”

The 16 competitors will also be competing for a total prize fund of $160,000 in travel grants. Each player to qualify for the Masters will earn a minimum travel grant of $7,000, while the boys’ and girls’ champions will both be awarded $15,000 travel grants.

ITF Juniors Committee Chairman, Jon Vegosen, said: “The ITF Junior Masters has made a strong financial commitment to help these promising young athletes at the start of their professional tennis careers. In addition to the support offered by the travel grant fund of $160,000, all participants and their coaches will receive free international travel to the event and a high level of hospitality during their week in Chengdu.”

The Sichuan International Tennis Centre, which was built in 2008 and consists of 12 match courts and 20 practice courts, has already hosted a number of international events. The ITF Junior Masters will be staged on two match courts, including a 6000-capacity stadium court, with matches broadcast by Sichuan TV and streamed live over the three days.

MA Long Closes in on World Tour Record After Victory at China Open

MA Long (CHN) has moved closer to becoming the most successful ever ITTF World Tour player by clinching gold at the GAC Group 2014 World Tour Super Series China Open which concluded on 8 June 2014 in Chengdu, China.

The world number two defeated the world number one XU Xin (CHN) 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 11-4 to claim his 17th World Tour title, which is only six behind the legendary Vladimir SAMSONOV (BLR) who is on 23.

After his victory, the 24-year-old stated: I am very happy to win my 17th World Tour title, this means a lot. However I still have quite a few wins left if I am going to catch up to Samsonov’s record of 23.”

MA Long’s gold medal at the China Open moves him closer to the ITTF World Tour record.
Photo credit: ITTF.

“I had a near-perfect event here, I would like to thank all my fans in Chengdu who came out and supported me, it meant a lot.”

DING Ning (CHN) broke her drought of never winning the China Open by defeating world number one and team mate LIU Shiwen (CHN) 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 4-11, 2-11, 11-2 in the women’s singles final in front of a capacity crowd at the Sichuan Province Gymnasium.

“I am satisfied with my performance here in Chengdu, I am very happy that I was finally able to win my home event, the China Open,” stated the 23 year old.

The story of the 17-year-old prodigy FAN Zhendong (CHN) continued in the men’s doubles as he teamed up with the singles champion MA Long (CHN) to win his first ever World Tour doubles gold.

The combination of FAN Zhendong and MA Long was too strong for XU Xin (CHN) and Olympic and World Champion ZHANG Jike (CHN) in an extremely entertaining final, defeating them 6-11, 11-4, 5-11, 11-4, 14-12.

A thrilled FAN, who shocked the world by winning the German Open last year as a 16-year-old, stated: “We did a good job in the final and played well with each other. It was an honour to play with MA Long. This is the first time I have won a world tour doubles title so it is exciting.”

Women’s singles champion DING Ning (CHN) teamed up with the woman she beat in the singles final, LIU Shiwen (CHN), to win gold in the women’s doubles.

The Chinese pair were simply too good for the young duo from Chinese Taipei CHENG I-Ching & HUANG Yi-Hua, winning 11-5, 11-4, 11-9.

Asuka MACHI (JPN) handled the pressure of his first under-21 final well as he upset the Philippines Open under-21 Champion CHEN Feng (SIN) 6-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 2-11, 11-4, 11-7.

Australian Open under -21 winner, 13-year-old Mima ITO (JPN), had to settle for silver this time around, as she was comprehensively beaten by CHEN Szu-Yu (TPE) 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7.

The China Open was the 10th event out of 21 in the GAC Group 2014 ITTF World Tour. At each event, the players earn Race to Bangkok points to qualify them for the 1-million-dollar GAC Group 2014 World Tour Grand Finals to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on 11-14 December 2014.

ITF launches Junior Masters in Chengdu

The ITF today announced the launch of the ITF Junior Masters, a new international event featuring the top eight ranked boys and girls on the 18-and-under ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of the year. The inaugural event will take place on 3-5 April 2015 at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu, China following a three-year agreement with the Chinese Tennis Association and the Chengdu Sport Bureau.

The ITF Junior Masters will showcase the next generation of players and also assist them in making a transition from junior tennis to the professional game through various opportunities including travel grants. Further information will be released in due course.

The top eight boys and girls on the ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of 2014 will be invited to participate in the ITF Junior Masters, which will consist of two knock-out singles events, with each player guaranteed three matches to determine their final finishing position.

The Sichuan International Tennis Centre, which was built in 2008 and consists of 12 match courts and 20 practice courts, has already hosted a number of international events. The ITF Junior Masters will be staged on three match courts, including a 6000-capacity stadium court, with matches broadcast and streamed live over the three days.

The ITF Junior Masters joins the ITF junior team competitions, the 14-and-under World Junior Tennis competition, and 16-and-under Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, as the premier junior events on the 2015 ITF calendar.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “We are delighted that some of the world’s most talented young players will have the opportunity to compete in this new, exciting event while, at the same time, further assisting them in their transition to the senior game. The ITF Junior Circuit has long been the main pathway to professional tennis for young players, but this event will provide an added incentive for players to secure a high year-end ranking. We are grateful for the support and the vision of the Chinese Tennis Association and Chengdu Sports Bureau to be able to launch this event in such an impressive setting.”

Madam Sun Jinfang, Vice President of the Chinese Tennis Association, said “I would like to express our thanks to the ITF for their confidence in the CTA and Chengdu as host city in staging the event. Chengdu has a long tennis tradition, with a large tennis population and many activities in schools and universities, so it is an appropriate venue for this new event. We look forward to seeing some of the future stars of the game in action, and will work hard with our partners to ensure a first-class event.”

Ms Tan Xuejun, Director of Chengdu Sport Bureau, said: “We are proud to be staging the first-ever ITF Junior Masters. Chengdu is one of the Chinese cities with the best tennis development and popularity, and the staging of major events is an important part of this development. The city has already held a number of international tennis events that will act as a good foundation for the ITF Junior Masters. We are confident that the players will put on a great performance for the fans both on site and watching on television around the world.”