In different circumstances, the sixth edition of the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals would be taking place this week at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu, China. The event, which has this year been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has become synonymous with fantastic on-court action as the best junior players from the previous 12 months do battle for silverware. The ITF Junior Finals is more than just another tournament, however, as the players who qualify are treated to a host of cultural experiences, including much-cherished visits to the famous Chengdu panda sanctuary, and receive travel grants totalling up to $15,000 depending on their finishing position. The competition is very much a gateway to the professional arena and, despite only being five years old, has provided some tremendous memories. Each day this week, the ITF will be reliving an edition of the tournament. Today, we rewind to 2017.

It was all change for the 2017 edition of the ITF Junior Finals, which was still known as the ITF Junior Masters, as for the first time the tournament was contested in October and adopted a round-robin format.

More significantly, however, the competition’s status was raised further by the event being fully incorporated into the 18-and-under ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors with the offering of ranking points.

A new Road to Chengdu leaderboard was also established in the build-up, although when the on-court action began rankings and past glories had very little bearing on the outcome, particularly in the boys’ draw.

Heading into the competition, the likes of China’s Wu Yibing, having just won a Junior Grand Slam at the US Open, and Axel Geller of Argentina, a two-time Junior Grand Slam finalist, were among the favourites.

Within a matter of days, however, the only name on people’s lips was Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori, who, despite being the lowest-ranked player in the draw, conquered all before him to top the Chengdu podium.

Drawn within Group Shuai, Ruusuvuori made a commanding start to the tournament by defeating Austria’s Jurij Rodionov and Marko Miladinovic of Serbia in straight sets, before slipping to defeat against junior world No. 1 Wu in the final pool-stage fixture.

Safely through to the knockout phase, Ruusuvuori then accelerated his giant-killing antics by overcoming Geller, who had advanced from Group Yong, 6-2 6-4 in a one-sided semi-final to set up another showdown with Wu.

Not only had Wu already beaten the Finn in the group stage but had done so in the last four of the US Open Junior Tennis Championships also only weeks earlier when Ruusuvuori failed to convert two match points.  

The Helsinki-born teenager would have his revenge, however, and was calmness personified as he recovered from losing the opening set to overcome the home favourite and Chinese prodigy, prevailing 3-6 6-1 7-6(4).

“Realising that I had won was just unreal, I couldn’t really believe it,” Ruusuvuori told itftennis.com. “I had never experienced anything like that. Success in the ITF Junior Masters can bring a lot of belief and motivation for the players to work even harder to make it to the top.

“That victory is something that will stay with me throughout my career. It is something I can always think about during good or bad times and it will bring positive vibes and keep pushing me forward.”

There have certainly been plenty of good times since. Ruusuvuori may have been the lowest-ranked player in Chengdu, but certainly does not have that tag any longer given he currently stands No. 100 in the men’s standings, having won six titles, four at Challenger level, in 2019.

As Ruusuvuori said, winning in Chengdu was a major moment in his career although, as has been referenced at length this week, the ITF Junior Finals is more than just another competition. While winning provided an indelible memory for the then-teenager, the whole experience prompts immense fondness.

“Competing at the ITF Junior Masters was a very unique experience for all of us and especially for me because I managed to perform so well there,” he said.

“Overall, the whole 10 days we spent in China were unforgettable. The way they took care of us and how the tournament was organised was just amazing. You really felt like a professional there.

“The trip we did to the panda base was great – I had never seen one before – and the draw ceremony was something that was also really nice because it was something so different from other tournaments.

“Usually you don’t get to see much more than the tennis courts at tournaments so this really was something special.”

In the girls’ draw, the player to have made the biggest impact since is undoubtedly Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who has risen to No. 19 in the world having claimed two Tour-level titles, most recently at the Hobart International in January.

Rybakina, however, could only muster a seventh-place finish in Chengdu. After failing to emerge from Group Liang, she then suffered defeat to China’s Wang Xinyu before overcoming Sofia Sewing of the United States in the promotional play-offs.

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk was among the ones to watch after sealing Junior Grand Slam glory at the Australian Open in the January of 2017. She began the week by playing what she descried as “risky tennis” but qualified that by suggesting “without risk you don’t drink champagne”.

It was a tactic which clearly paid off as she posted a clean sweep of victories in Group Li as Colombia’s Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, Kaja Juvan of Slovenia and Wang were all dispatched without dropping a set.

Emerging from Group Liang was formidable junior world No. 1 Whitney Osuigwe, a winner at the Roland Garros Junior Championships that year, and Argentina’s Maria Lourdes Carle.

Kostyuk defeated Carle in straight sets in their semi-final clash, while, in the other, Juvan sprung something of a surprise by overpowering Osuigwe in convincing fashion, chalking up a 7-5 6-1 victory.

In the final, despite trailing in both sets, Kostyuk stormed back to win both, but prior to lifting silverware she toasted her success in style with a celebratory backflip in the middle of the court.

“I finished my junior career in the best way possible by winning the ITF Junior Masters and that really was the best way to finish,” said Kostyuk, who currently occupies a career-high position of No. 113 in the world rankings.

"It was a good moment of victory. I still remember that winning point, although the whole experience in Chengdu was amazing. I really loved it and it was one of my favourite tournaments.

"The main positive, however, was that I was able to finish the year really well, which gave me confidence so I was entering the next season with the best possible thoughts. I really benefitted from that.”

Juvan, meanwhile, is one of four players to have appeared at the 2017 event who this year received an International Player Grand Slam Grant financed by the Grand Slam Development Fund.

Like Kostyuk, Juvan – a double gold medallist at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires – featured in the main draw of all three Grand Slams this year. Still only 19, she too holds a current career-high ranking of No. 101 and, while much has happened in the meantime, memories of Chengdu remain.

“It was really like another Grand Slam except there were fewer players so they give you even more attention,” Juvan told itftennis.com.

“When you see an event like that, you get really excited for the pro tour. If you get to a certain point on the pro tour then of course you get treated like this. You get so much motivation to work harder.

“I’ve also played with [Marta] Kostyuk and [Elena] Rybakina, who were also there in Chengdu and they are both climbing up the WTA rankings. If girls see that then they will want to go there.”

Final placings:

Boys

1. Emil Ruusuvuori; 2. Wu Yibing; 3. Axel Geller; 4. Sebastian Baez; 5. Marko Miladinovic; 6. Jurij Rodionov; 7. Hsu Yu-hsiou; 8. Trent Bryde

Girls

1. Marta Kostyuk; 2. Kaja Juvan; 3. Whitney Osuigwe; 4 Maria Lourdes Carle; 5. Maria Camila Osorio Serrano; 6. Wang Xinya; 7. Elena Rybakina; 8. Sofia Sewin