The big winners of the Junior Accelerator Programme so far in 2025
Key purposes of the ITF are the provision of a pathway to the top of the game and the creation of opportunities so players can chase their dreams…enter the Junior Accelerator Programme.
The Junior Accelerator Programme has been in place since 1 January 2023 and rewards the best-performing juniors – boys and girls – each year with exposure to higher-level competition.
Former junior world No. 1 Laura Samson of Czechia, who is now ranked No. 320 in the WTA Rankings, is the latest player to have used the Junior Accelerator Programme to great effect.
The 17-year-old only contested five junior events during 2024 as she focused more upon ITF World Tennis Tour Women’s tournaments – winning three in total at W15 Monastir, W15 Kranjska Gora and W15 Bol.
Nevertheless, by virtue of finishing runner-up at the Roland Garros Junior Championships, Samson benefitted from the Junior Accelerator Programme in the same way as someone finishing No. 6 in the year-end girls' rankings would (further explanation below).
As a result, Samson earned entry into two tournaments up to and including W75 level and three tournaments up to and including W50 level during 2025 - and her most recent entry proved highly successful.
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Only last week while using an Accelerator Spot, Samson conquered all before her at W50+H Pazardzhik to scoop her second ITF World Tennis Tour title of the season and the second-biggest of her career.
“Programmes such as the Junior Accelerator Programme allow us younger players – juniors – to play more matches at a higher level, so it helps us a lot,” said Samson.
“The transition from junior tennis to the professional game is obviously tough and it is different playing women’s tennis compared to juniors. So far, however, I’ve been doing okay and I hope to keep going like this.
“The win at W50+H Pazardzhik meant a lot. I wasn’t expecting it but it meant a lot. I don’t really have any specific goals for the remainder of the season; I just want to improve my game and feel good on the court. I’m hoping to get stronger.”
The underlying principle of the Junior Accelerator Programme, which operates in collaboration with the ATP and WTA, is to ensure that talented individuals have the chance to advance their careers and progress along the player pathway.
In short, the initiative is designed to accelerate the progression of the world’s best boys and girls as continue their quest to reach the game's summit.
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For each player ranked within the Top 20 of the ITF World Tennis Tour girls’ rankings, there are five opportunities to access main draws at ITF World Tennis Tour events – from W15s to W100s, depending on ranking.
Girls finishing in the Top 20 are entitled during the next calendar year to use their Accelerator Spot to gain entry to the main draw of an applicable tournament which they would otherwise not the eligible for based on WTA, ITF or national ranking.
Having finished 2024 as the year-end No. 1 girl, Australia's Emerson Jones, for instance, earned a main draw place at three ITF World Tennis Tour events up to and including W100s and two up to and including W75 level in 2025.
USA’s Iva Jovic finished No. 2 in the 2024 year-end rankings and earned main draw places at two tournaments up to and including W100s and three up to and including W75 level. Thereafter there is a sliding scale based on ranking.
Accelerator Spots have so far been used on 115 unique occasions in 2025. Four titles have been won by a player using an Accelerator Spot, with Samson victorious alongside Petr Brunclik at M25 Santo Domingo, Filip Jeff Planinsek at M25 Marburg and Reda Bennani at M15 Tanger.
On three further occasions a player using an Accelerator Spot has reached the final of an ITF World Tennis Tour event, on 10 occasions the semi-finals and on 16 occasions the quarter-finals – priceless exposure to higher-level competition.
The Junior Accelerator Programme is very much a way of rewarding talented juniors with such exposure but there are other initiatives in place such as Junior Reserved places.
Introduced in 2019 alongside the launch of the ITF World Tennis Tour, Junior Reserved places have also proven beneficial to players as they progress towards higher-level ITF World Tennis Tour events and ATP and WTA competition.
So long as a player – boy or girl – is at least 14 years of age and ranked within the Top 100, they will be considered for entry into the main draw of an ITF World Tennis Tour event through a Junior Reserved place.
When all players wishing to use a Junior Reserved place at a given event are known, the three boys or three girls with the highest ranking will be offered a main draw place. There is no limit to the number of Junior Reserved places a player can use per season.
As ever, the ITF will continue to create opportunities for talent to rise.