The 2025 ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals will take place from October 22 to 26 in Chengdu, China, and will bring together the top eight boys and eight girls in the world.
Three American players have qualified for the prestigious year-end finals, including two with strong ties to Florida; Ben Willwerth of Jupiter and Kristina Penickova, who currently lives in Orlando, will appear in court in a few weeks.
Ben Willwerth enters the event at number 6 in the world. He was the 2022 Bobby Curtis Boys ’16s Champion and has had an excellent season in 2025. Willwerth reached the boys’ singles final at the Australian Open and the boys’ doubles final at Roland Garros. He also finished second in the US Open Boys’ Doubles with Noah Johnston.
Kristina Penickova has reached the third place in the junior rankings in her career. She won the Australian Open Girls’ Doubles with her twin sister Annika Penickova and reached the singles final at the same event. Kristina also won the girls’ doubles championship at Wimbledon with partner Vendula Valdmannová.
Players who finish strongly can qualify for the ITF Junior Accelerator Program, which helps them progress to higher-level professional events. The finals also offer the champions 1,000 ranking points, which is equivalent to a junior Grand Slam. Also at stake is a record $220,000 in travel grants, with up to $23,000 awarded to each champion. These funds allow players to cover costs at the start of their professional career.
Florida tennis fans will be watching closely as Willwerth and Penickova look to end the season with a statement on the world stage.
For more information about the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Final 2025, read USTA article about the event and learn more about Jack Kennedy, the third American junior to participate in the competition.
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