France’s Valentin Royer feels fit and lean and is raring to upset the odds as his preparations for a debut appearance at the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals in Chengdu intensify.

The 18-year-old progressed to the singles final at J1 Repentigny before producing what he describes as a “breakthrough” by reaching the quarter-finals at the US Open Junior Tennis Championships in September.

With wind very much in his sails, Royer is intent on continuing his surge in form and showing his true colours on the hard courts of the Sichuan International Tennis Centre when the tournaments gets underway on 23 October.

“So far my season has not been too bad and I had something of a breakthrough at the US Open, so now I'm just waiting to play in Chengdu to prove how I can play,” Royer told itftennis.com.

“The fact that I'm better physically, specifically after losing some weight, is a real game-changer and has been the main lesson from this season. If I'm fit, moving well and hitting the ball well, that is very important.”

Royer’s New York odyssey was brought to a halt in the last eight by home favourite Brandon Nakashima. It was a case of friendly fire given the American teamed up with the Frenchman at Flushing Meadows for the doubles competition.

The duo reached the quarter-finals, while during their time together the conversation inevitably turned to Chengdu and Nakashima is not a bad acquaintance to have when the topic of the ITF Junior Finals is broached.

Nakashima is the reigning ITF Junior Finals boys’ champion after following in the footsteps of Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori by springing something of a surprise by navigating the field, which included Junior Grand Slam winners, to lift silverware.

With three Junior Grand Slam champions – Jonas Forejtek, Shintaro Mochizuki and Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune – in this year’s boys’ draw, Royer might be considered an outsider for the podium, although the man himself is not ruling out a repeat of recent history.

“I have a great friendship with Brandon Nakashima because we played together in the doubles at Wimbledon and the US Open,” said Royer. “He told me that it's a really good tournament and for him, as a player, it was an amazing experience. He was a winner there also.

“In terms of this year, there are some really good players but we are all playing very well and I think anybody can win this competition.”

Should Royer emulate Nakashima, who defeated two-time Junior Grand Slam winner Tseng Chun Hsin in the 2018 final, and triumph in the Far East, it will be back-to-back tournament successes for France following Clara Burel’s victory in the girls’ draw 12 months ago. Royer is keen to see Le Tricolore flying high once more.

“I'm always trying to represent my country so following Clara’s example would be an honour,” added Royer.

“I'm very excited to play the ITF Junior Finals because it's a really good opportunity for me and I've heard that it's a very well-organised tournament.

“But it would also be the cherry on top of the cake to finish my season by winning, although it is a relatively small step in a very long career.

“To finish with a win, however, cannot be bettered, and it would bring a lot of emotions for me and my whole staff, who I have been working really hard with.”