Parry and Snigur to face off for No.1 ranking
France's Diane Parry and Daria Snigur of Ukraine have everything to gain when they do battle for the title of 2019 ITF Junior Finals girls' champion on Centre Court at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre on Sunday.
Snigur secured her place in the tournament's finale by brushing aside USA's Hurricane Tyra Black 6-0 6-2 in just 56 minutes. Parry was not too far behind and navigated her semi-final against compatriot Elsa Jacquemot with relative ease, winning 6-3 6-3.
Not only is there a much-coveted trophy up for grabs when the pair draw swords for the ITF Junior Finals crown, but the victor will also see their name at the summit of the junior world rankings when they are updated on Monday.
Parry rocketed to the top of the standings courtesy of her singles victory at JA Osaka at the weekend, while reigning Wimbledon girls' champion Snigur remains in the hunt.
"I was surprised to be No. 1 after Osaka and I would be really happy to be No. 1 after this tournament," Parry, who extended her winning streak to 10 matches, told itftennis.com. "That's what I want and I will try and end the year No. 1.
"It's really important for me to win here. If I win this tournament, it could be my last junior competition. It has been a really good experience and I will try and finish with a title."
There remains the distinct possibility of a French double at this year's ITF Junior Finals, with Harold Mayot reaching the final of the boys' draw later in the day following victory over Japan's Shintaro Mochizuki.
Never in the history of the ITF Junior Finals has a nation provided both the boys' and girls' winners, while success for Parry and Mayot would also replicate the title-winning results of JA Osaka last weekend.
Parry came up against Snigur as recently as July, in the semi-finals at J1 Roehampton where the Ukrainian prevailed 6-7(2) 6-3 6-2. She foresees a tight and edgy encounter.
"Daria is playing really well at the moment and it will be a really tough match," said Parry. "I will speak to my coach and talk about what I have to do against her.
"I'm so happy to be in the final and to have won all my matches at this tournament. In fact, I couldn't be happier than I am right now."
After defeating Parry in the last four Snigur proceeded to lift silverware at Roehampton, which acted as the perfect prelude to her title-winning herocis at the All England Club a matter of weeks later.
A different tournament and an alternative setting now, but Snigur is eager to use her success at SW19 as a blueprint for clearing yet another silverware-yielding hurdle.
"In this moment I do think about Wimbledon and winning my first Junior Grand Slam," said Snigur. "Hopefully that experience will help me win here too."
In the day's placement clash, China's Zheng Qinwen beat Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia 6-2 6-3.
"I am very happy and it's incredible that I have the opportunity to fight for the ITF Junior Finals title.
"Winning so clinically today [against Black] was amzing. It was much easier than I thought, I expected it to be much harder. I feel ready for the final."
To view a gallery of photographs from the 2019 ITF Junior Finals click here.