American Brandon Nakashima knows a thing or two about winning the ITF Junior Finals. Despite limited playing time on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors this season, he also has an insight into most of the boys competing in Chengdu this week.

In recent months, whether in singles or doubles, Nakashima has drawn swords against five of the eight male participants who will be battling to lift silverware at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre during the 2019 edition of the competition.

The 18-year-old has suffered defeats to current junior world No. 1 Jonas Forejtek and Harold Mayot at the US Open Junior Tennis Championships and the Junior Championships at Wimbledon respectively, although in an earlier round at Flushing Meadows he overcame France’s Valentin Royer. While partnering Royer in doubles, meanwhile, Nakashima has also seen Canada’s Liam Draxl and Thiago Agustin Tirante of Argentina at close quarters.

Nakashima knows only too well that perceived underdogs can thrive, while past Junior Grand Slam champions and those favoured for the trophy can come unstuck on the hard courts of Chengdu.

But having suffered at the hands of Forejtek in New York only last month, San Diego-born Nakashima believes the Czech, who claimed Junior Grand Slam glory at the US Open and topped the Road to Chengdu standings, is well set for an ITF junior Finals glory bid.

“Forejtek no doubt has a great game and it definitely shows in all his success this year,” Nakashima told itftennis.com. “Winning the Junior US Open and doing well at all the other Slams definitely shows his consistent high level of play.

“I’m sure he’s going to do well at the ITF Junior Finals and I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes the title.”

Nakashima was one of the lower-ranked players in last year’s boys’ draw but signalled his intent on the opening day of the competition by dispatching France’s Hugo Gaston, who only weeks earlier had been crowned Youth Olympic Games boys’ champion.

He was a cool and composed presence all week, navigating the round-robin phase of the competition before advancing to the final where he overcame two-time Junior Grand Slam winner and junior world No. 1 Tseng Chun Hsin.

“Memories of the winning moment in the final brings a lot of emotion in my head,” said Nakashima. “It definitely showed that my hard work paid off and that my goal for the year had been achieved.

“At the beginning of the year, I watched some highlight videos from the previous years of the ITF Junior Finals and I made it one of my goals to qualify for the tournament. Therefore, that winning moment and lifting the trophy is something I will never forget.

“The tournament definitely helped me as a player in terms of confidence, maturity and improving my game. Knowing that I was one of the top junior players in the world and that I could do well at any tournament was important.

“Winning also helped my development and showed me that I could, and indeed wanted to, play tennis professionally in the future.”

After reigning in Chengdu, Nakashima enrolled at the University of Virginia and has contested a season of college tennis before finishing his junior career by featuring at the Grand Slams, while he has also received wild cards entries to a number of ATP Challenger events.

He reached the quarter-finals of the Tiburon Challenger 100 in September before going one better at the Fairfield Challenger 100, where he fell to compatriot Steve Johnson despite winning the first set.

“I know most top juniors decide to turn pro at a young age but I have always wanted to go to College no matter my rankings or results and that college season, competing at the NCAAs [National Collegiate Athletic Association], was everything I could have asked for,” added Nakashima.

“After the season, I reached the semi-finals of the Junior US Open and then played some ATP Challengers. The last month I have probably played some of my best tennis this year and getting some wins against Top 150 opponents has definitely boosted my confidence.

“In terms of the US Open, going deep in any tournament is great but going deep in my last Juniors event and a home Slam felt a little sweeter. There is no better feeling than when the whole crowd is supporting you and it’s a high-level match in all aspects.

“The overall transition from Juniors to the professional events hasn’t been too much of a struggle: I enjoy travelling and playing a lot of matches so, again, the ITF Junior Finals helped in that respect also.

“Of course, the level of play is much higher in the professional events so I have to continue to improve, especially with regard to the physical aspect of competing.”

As for the ITF Junior Finals, Nakashima’s work was done some time ago. This time around he can sit back, see whether his tip for the title prevails and relive his ultimately glorious week 12 months ago. Some of those Far East reminisces have long-since been passed to doubles partner Royer.

“He asked my a few times about my experience at the ITF Junior Finals and I just told him that it is great and that I enjoyed my time there,” he said. “The organisation was very nice and the site and city was great for high-level tennis.”

The pretenders to his throne are gathered and raring to be unleashed, while the victory path of Nakashima’s successor, whoever it may be, will be mapped out at today’s draw ceremony.

During the build-up to this year's ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals, which take place between 23-27 October, an interview with each player competing in Chengdu will appear on www.itftennis.com and the ITF's social media channels. There will also be articles featuring former winners of and participants at the event.