What are the World Tennis Tour Junior Finals?

There will be plenty of editorial and social content about them in the coming week, but what exactly are the World Tennis Tour Junior Finals?

Here is a guide:

• Essentially, the World Tennis Tour Junior Finals, which this year take place from 21-25 October, are the junior equivalent of the ATP and WTA Finals. They are both a celebration of junior excellence and a proven step towards the elite professional game.  
  
  
• The Finals see eight of the world’s best boys and eight of the world’s best girls compete separately but at one venue for silverware and ranking points. The Finals will take place at the Sichuan International Tennis Center in Chengdu, China – the venue since the tournament’s inception in 2015.
  
  
• Ranking points accrued over a 12-month period on the World Tennis Tour Juniors – for players aged 18 and under – have counted towards qualification for the Finals.
  
  
• How does the tournament work? Once in Chengdu, the eight boys will be split into two groups of four, and the eight girls will be split into two groups of four. Following three days of round-robin action, the top two in each group will advance to the semi-finals. The bottom two will compete in placement matches to see who finishes fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth. 
  
  

• The winner of each event will earn up to 1000 ranking points – equivalent to what is on offer at a Junior Grand Slam – which would be a significant boost to a player’s quest to finish 2026 as the year-end No. 1 boy or girl. It is also worth noting that a higher year-end ranking will enable players to access higher-level professional tournament opportunities through the Junior Accelerator Programme in 2027. 
  
  
• Players competing in Chengdu will also benefit from travel grants to support their future progression to professional tennis. This year the travel grants on offer will once again exceed $220,000 USD. The 2026 winner of the boys’ and girls’ event will receive up to $23,000 USD, with travel grants staggered at every level through to those in eighth position.
  
  
• While in Chengdu, players are immersed in Chinese culture and participate in activities away from the court, with the event showcasing to players what life as a pro is like. Past participants have always spoken very highly about the Finals.
  
  
• Since their first edition in 2015, the Finals have featured four future Grand Slam champions, a host of future Top 10s, soon-to-be Olympic gold medallists and scores of fantastic players. The back catalogue of players to have competed at the Finals reflects the significance of the tournament in respect of the player pathway.
  
  
• Grand Slam champions Marketa Vondrousova, Elena Rybakina, Sofia Kenin and Jelena Ostapenko have all competed at the Finals, as have the likes of Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev, Zheng Qinwen, Rafael Jodar, Taylor Fritz, Leylah Fernandez, Lorenzo Musetti, Marta Kostyuk and Camila Osorio.