Boogaard wins Orange Bowl and becomes first Dutch player to win a J500
Thijs Boogaard not only claimed the biggest title of his career at the Orange Bowl over the weekend but also became the first Dutch player – boy or girl – to win a J500.
Boogaard, who has struggled with injuries during his fledgling career, showed no sign of any impediments on the clay courts of Florida as he raced to victory at J500 Fort Lauderdale without dropping a set.
The 17-year-old’s title-winning moment came against home favourite Jack Kennedy, with Boogaard triumphing 6-3 6-3 in the boys' final to claim his 13th ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors singles title.
“Good week in Florida winning the Orange Bowl, looking forward to 2026,” wrote Boogaard, who has risen to No. 17 in the ITF World Tennis Tour boys’ rankings following his success, on Instagram.
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There was an equally compelling story in the girls’ draw as Xinran Sun of China, P.R. conquered all before her to seal the biggest junior title of her career so far, eclipsing the J300 title she won at Nonthaburi in March.
Sun, who claimed back-to-back W15 Sharm El Sheikh titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour Women's during October and November, is the fourth Chinese winner of a J500 and first since Juncheng Shang won the Orange Bowl in 2021.
Aged just 15, Sun is also the youngest Chinese winner of a J500 and the youngest player – boy or girl – to win a J500 since Great Britain’s Hannah Klugman won the Orange Bowl in December 2023.
"Amazing week to finish the season by winning Orange Bowl and my first J500," said Sun, who dispatched Kristina Liutova in the final to rise to a career-best No. 15 in the ITF World Tennis Tour girls’ rankings.
"So grateful for the work we put in every single day and for the amazing team around me, thank you guys for always believing and supporting me."
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This was the first time that the Orange Bowl has been staged in Fort Lauderdale. Whatever the venue, however, the Orange Bowl has an incredibly rich history and the list of players to have contested the event reads like a who’s who of tennis legends.
The likes of Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Chris Evert, Roger Federer, Steffi Graf, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Gabriela Sabatini, Andy Roddick, Mary Joe Fernandez, Monica Seles and Guillermo Vilas have all played the Orange Bowl.
Since 2014 alone, future Grand Slam champions Coco Gauff, Bianca Andreescu and Sofia Kenin have all won the Orange Bowl as part of their journey along the ITF player pathway. It is fair to say that the class of 2025 have kept extremely good company.
As an aside, J500s provide premier playing opportunities for players on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors and are a rung below Junior Grand Slams in terms of ranking points – 500 – on offer.
J500s are also key components of the ITF’s provision of a global pathway for talented players around the world. The Orange Bowl was the seventh and final J500 of 2025.
The ITF has a number of initiatives in place to help reward the best performing juniors – boys and girls – by providing exposure to higher-level competition
Find out all there is to know about the Junior Accelerator Programme and Junior Reserved places.