ITF

JUNIOR Emil Ruusuvuori and Marta Kostyuk were fearless in their pursuit of the 2017 ITF Junior Masters titles in Chengdu. Alex Sharp reports. I t's amazing, it's hard to find words for how happy I feel right now," said an elated Emil Ruusuvuori. The Finn defied his position as the lowest-ranked boy in the draw to win the ITF Junior Masters title and launch his transition into the professional circuit in style. Ruusuvuori surged to No. 6 in the junior rankings after his finest triumph. Lifting a trophy alongside Ruusuvuori, 18, was 15-year-old Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who utilised her full-throttle firebrand tennis to finish her junior career with silverware. "I was playing risky tennis, but without risk you don't drink champagne!" she said. A taste of life at the top was on the menu for 16 world-leading boys and girls at the third instalment of the prestigious ITF Junior Masters in Chengdu, China. The event was in its new calendar slot of October, to allow it to be fully incorporated into the ITF Junior Circuit, and a vital component in the race to finish year-end No. 1. Also at stake for the top three finishers in the boys and girls events were travel grants ranging from $7,000 to $15,000. Fans poured into the intimate main arena at the Sichuan International Tennis Center to catch a glimpse of the future stars of the game. For the first time the tournament was allocated a prime-time spot on Chinese TV as the players quickly learnt how to play under the spotlight. "Earning your degree, so to speak, at the junior level against players of a similar calibre puts more pressure on you," explained ITF President David Haggerty. "These kind of tournaments help players rise to the occasion when they first hit the Pro Circuit." Leading the line-up with his face centre stage on the advertising posters was local hero and US Open champion Wu Yibing. The then- junior world No. 1 topped his group to reach the semifinals and was joined by Ruusuvuori in the final four following ruthless straight-sets displays against his roommate Jurij Rodionov and Marko Mladinovic. The girls draw welcomed the world No. 1 Whitney Osuigwe. "I've had a lot of matches coming into here, a lot of wins, so I have a lot of confidence," said the Roland Garros champion, who accelerated into the semifinals unbeaten, a feat also replicated by Kostyuk. The second boys group had a South American flavour as Argentine duo Axel Geller and Sebastian Baez advanced to the knockout by a matter of games, world No. 2 Geller wielding his giant serve in the process. Maria Lourdes Carle made it an Argentine treble into the semifinals. "Of course, it's an honour." She used a gruelling 64 67(4) 63 triumph over fifth seed Elena Rybakina as the catalyst to progress, but Carle's quest was halted by a clinical 63 75 showing from Australian Open champion Kostyuk. Kaja Juvan recovered from a nasty fall over her right ankle to repeat her 2016 Grade A Orange Bowl triumph over top seed Osuigwe 75 61 to march into the girls final. But Kostyuk illustrated her explosive all- court artillery in the decider, beating Juvan 64 63 to lift the trophy without dropping a set. "I forgot to do this celebration when I won in Melbourne," admitted Kostyuk, who had the crowd in raptures with two backflips on the baseline, "But this is what I'll do when I win a trophy. It feels great!" Osuigwe dispatched Carle 62 62 MASTERY " JUNIOR MASTERS Marta Kostyuk and Emil Ruusuvuori hold aloft their trophies

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