Preview: 2023 Orange Bowl
It has been another fascinating season of junior tennis and the final J500 tournament of the 2023 campaign – the prestigious Orange Bowl – will take place at Plantation, Florida from 4-10 December.
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, with those on show next week keeping very esteemed company.
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.
In the last decade alone, future Grand Slam champions Coco Gauff, Bianca Andreescu and Sofia Kenin have all topped the Orange Bowl podium as part of their journey along the ITF player pathway.
As a reminder, J500s provide premier playing opportunities for players on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors and, in effect, are one rung below Junior Grand Slams.
The Orange Bowl is the last of seven J500s to take place in 2023, offering ambitious juniors the opportunity to secure the highest possible year-end ranking.
For observers, it is the latest chance to see the cream of this year’s junior crop – the stars of tomorrow – in action and there is some real talent on show.
In terms of the year-end junior world No. 1 battle, which would also mean ITF World Champion status, Brazil’s Joao Fonseca and Rodrigo Pacheco of Mexico are neck and neck in the boys’ race. That said, neither are currently set to feature at the Orange Bowl.
However, that may well change in the coming days as there is still the possibility of wild cards being offered, which could be done at any stage prior to the tournament's draw on 3 December.
As is stands, Bolivia’s Juan Carlos Prado Angelo – a former junior world No. 1 himself – is the highest-ranked player in the boys’ draw, while Iliyan Radulov of Bulgaria is also primed for action.
The likes of Nicolai Budkov Kjaer of Norway, Japan’s Rei Sakamoto and home favourites Alexander Frusina, Alexander Razeghi and Kaylan Bigun are among those likely to be eyeing silverware.
The quest to finish the season as the year-end No. 1 girl has already been settled with Alina Korneeva, who lifted singles silverware at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros, the clear winner.
Czechia’s Laura Samsonova has been in sparkling form recently and the 15-year-old will be bidding to enhance her burgeoning reputation when she takes to the clay courts of Plantation.
Indeed, Samsonova claimed the biggest title of her career when she conquered all before her at J500 Merida last week and will be eager for further glory ahead of the 2024 campaign.
American trio Kaitlin Quevedo, Iva Jovic and Tyra Caterina Grant will be eager to shine on home soil, while the likes of Alena Kovackova of Czechia, Great Britain’s Hannah Klugman and Serbia’s Teodora Kostovic will also be looking to impress.