The European Junior Championships are the biggest prize on the Junior Tour, not just in prestige, but also in terms of ranking points. Let’s see how last week’s results have played their part in this week’s update, and how the Race looks with a mere three months to go before the cut-off for qualification to the Junior Masters.
The biggest impact on the Race Top 10 this week is of course that of Luna Vujovic’s nine-spot rise to the summit. The Serb is having a July to remember, dominating the tour: champion at the Wimbledon 14&U Invitational, European Junior Champion and now #1 in the Race to Monte Carlo.
The other player in the first ever girls’ all-Serbian final, Dusica Popovski, has also risen a whopping 18 spots, landing at #12, which puts her within striking distance of qualifying. Romanian Stefania Boian’s R16 showing was enough to bump her from #9 to #5, while compatriot and EJC bronze medalist Giulia Popa remains steady at number 2. Sara Oliveriusova, Hollie Smart, Anna Pushkareva and Ksenia Efremova all retain their places in the Top 10.
The boys’ Top 10 has also seen its fair share of fluctuations. Mark Ceban has managed to maintain his stranglehold on the top spot thanks to a quarterfinal showing in Most, while his conqueror, Tomas Krejci has moved up from #7 to #4. Upon winning the Category 1 event in Paris, Daniel Jade was perched just outside the top 10, but now having earned a silver medal in Most he has shot up 8 spots to #3. As with Vujovic, it has been a very productive and positive two weeks for the French player. Last but not least, the first ever Slovenian to win an EJC gold medal, Svit Suljic, has made a massive leap of 76 spots, soaring from a lowly #92 to land at #16 this week. Regardless of his ranking, as European Champion Suljic has already secured a spot at the Junior Masters and won’t have to worry about his points total in the coming weeks.
Türkiye has three contenders currently ranked in the top 6: Samim Filiz holds steady at #2, while compatriots Kaan Isik Kosaner and Mustafa Ege Sik both fall 2 spots. Maia Super Category champ Marco Ontiveros Castro also holds firm and rounds out the top 8.
The 16&U Race to Monte-Carlo ranking shows little change over the last week. The only movement of note has been Serbian Gala Ivanovic’s nine-spot leap to #6 by virtue of her win at last week’s Niksic Open in Montenegro. Incredibly, three more Serbians, Lana Virc (#1), Stela Dzimovic (#2) and Anastasija Cvetovic (#10) also feature in the girls’ Top 10.
Doubles champions together at the Milan Super Category event, Kolos Kinces (HUN) and Joao Morgado (POR) are the clear leaders of the boys’ race, being the only two players in any age group to have accumulated more than 1,000 ranking points. In contrast to the girls' Race, players from ten different nations currenly occupy the Top 10.
To see the full Race to Monte-Carlo rankings, click here.
Junior Masters Qualification Notes:
Set to take place from 2-5 November at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, and hosted by the Monaco Tennis Federation, the Junior Masters field will be comprised of:
- The winner or runner-up (if winner is not available) of the 2023 European Junior Championships
- One (1) wild card to be allocated by Tennis Europe.
- The six top European players of the 'Race to Monte-Carlo' rankings (boys and girls) of both categories (14 and 16 & Under), according to the ranking published on Monday 16th October 2023.