ITF

"You need to have something to win those finals as it's not easy. You have a lot of nerves before the match and there is always a lot going on. "It's about calming those nerves, drawing on your experience and focusing on your game. Going forward, having the ability to do that is massive. "If the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray couldn't handle the pressure then they wouldn't have won the Grand Slams they have. "There are a lot of Top 20 ATP players that could win a Grand Slam but don't have the mentality. I'm getting there. "That's where I want to go and having that mentality is a process. I'm willing to go through that process and go through the pain to get to where I want to be." As Mayot's title charge faded, so did the possibility of a French double, which would also have been a repeat of the Mayot-Parry power axis in Osaka, following the latter's triumph over Ukraine's Daria Snigur earlier in the day. Parry was in blistering form from the tournament's outset and was the only player to remain undefeated throughout its entirety, while her stampede to victory included the concession of only one set – against USA's Hurricane Tyra Black on day one. The Parry juggernaut was relentless, with the 17-year- old accounting for eventual semi-finalist Black, Japan's Natsumi Kawaguchi and home favourite Zheng Qinwen in the group stage. Compatriot Elsa Jacquemot was then dealt with in the last four, while Snigur provided little resistance in the final and was routed 6-1 6-3. In beating Snigur and sealing an 11th successive match-win, Parry followed in the footsteps of Clara Burel and ensured France secured back-to-back girls' titles on the hard courts of the Sichuan International Tennis Centre. Despite an injury-ravaged 2019, Burel started the year by receiving a wild card entry into the main draw at the Australian Open, while another talented French teenager Hugo Gaston, who finished fourth in Chengdu in 2018, made huge strides in the professional ranks last term. Factor in also the four players flying under the banner of Le Tricolore in the 2019 instalment of the ITF Junior Finals and Parry, who was joined in Chengdu by Jacquemot, Mayot and Royer, believes French tennis has a bright future. "I think the new generation is a good one and I see this group making an impact in the future," she said. "There were four of us here this year so we are pretty good right now in juniors and there are some younger girls who are playing very well also." Parry, who confirmed her intention to concentrate solely on professional tournaments from now on, also revealed that Burel had sent her a good luck message on the eve of the final. "Clara and I are friends and I know her really well as we have played doubles together previously," added Parry, who along with Rune received the $15,000 travel grants on offer for the tournament winners. "She messaged me last night and just said, 'good luck, enjoy yourself and do your best'. It was lovely to receive. I came here to do what she did and I did it. I'm so happy about that." n BOYS 1 Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune DEN 2 Harold Mayot FRA 3 Valentin Royer FRA 4 Shintaro Mochizuki JPN 5 Jonas Forejtek CZE 6 Thiago Agustin Tirante ARG 8 Liam Draxl CAN 8 Bu Yunchaokete CHN GIRLS 1 Diane Parry FRA 2 Daria Snigur UKR 3 Elsa Jacquemot FRA 4 Hurricane Tyra Black USA 5 Natsumi Kawaguchi JPN 6 Zheng Qinwen CHN 7 Oksana Selekhmeteva RUS 8 Kamilla Bartone LAT ITFWorld // WINTER 2019/20 31 final STANDINGS Liam Draxl during a visit to Chengdu TanHu Foreign Languages School The players enjoyed their trip to the Chengdu panda sanctuary

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