Junior Orange Bowl Canceled; Two ITF Junior Circuit Grade 4s Set for US in October; Blanch Takes Doubles Title at Czech Grade 2; Young French Junior Stars Receive Roland Garros Wild Cards

The Junior Orange Bowl Committee announced today that the 59th annual tournament, scheduled for December 11-20, 2020 has been canceled:

Regretfully, the Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship Committee announces that due to concerns and complications from the Covid-19 Pandemic, the 59th Annual Championship, previously scheduled for December 11-20, 2020 is cancelled. This decision was very difficult and one that was not taken lightly, but is the decision that the Committee believes is best for all involved.

We look forward to welcoming all of our participants, coaches, parents and spectators next year for our 60th Anniversary.

As always we thank you and our sponsors for your continued support. Please check back with the website for updates for next year’s event and other tennis related news and events from the Junior Orange Bowl.

Just as with the US Open Junior Championships, I had covered the Junior Orange Bowl 12s and 14s every year since 2004, so this is another understandable but disappointing cancellation for me personally. Without seeing any of the American 12s and 14s at the Easter Bowl this year, it's now down to the Eddie Herr to provide me with a look at those age groups. The Eddie Herr website has posted that a final decision will be made for that tournament by Friday September 18th.

Although the International Tennis Federation began its Junior Circuit competition two weeks ago, all ITF junior events in the United States were canceled through mid-October. ITF play is scheduled to resume in the US now with two Grade 4s, both of them regular stops on the fall schedule, starting in Atlanta the week of October 19th, followed by the tournament in Lexington South Carolina the week of October 26th.

The Eddie Herr Grade 1 appears on the current ITF Junior Calendar, but as mentioned above, that may change.

In ITF Junior Circuit tournaments that did get played in Europe, Dali Blanch won a doubles title at the Grade 2 in the Czech Republic. Blanch and partner Jack Pinnington-Jones of Great Britain, who won the singles title, were the top seeds in the tournament. They defeated No. 2 seeds Pierre Yves Bailly and Maikel De Boes of Belgium 6-3, 3-6, 10-5 in the final. 

Ellie Coleman and Madison Sieg lost in the doubles final at the Grade 1 in Serbia. The No. 1 seeds fell to No. 2 seeds Polina Iatcenko of Russia and Petra Marcinko of Croatia 6-0, 6-2 in the championship match. Coleman, the No. 3 seed and Sieg the No. 2 seed, lost in the semifinals of singles. 

At a Grade 5 in Singapore, American Cameron Austin Chang won the boys doubles title, with partner Matthew Johnstone of Singapore. The No. 2 seeds defeated top seeds Nathan Barki and Brendan Hendrata of Indonesia 6-3, 6-2 in the final. 

The French Open announced its wild cards today, with a mix of veterans and young players awarded entry into the main draw. One former college player, recent Texas A&M graduate Arthur Rinderknech of France, received a main draw wild card.

The men's wild cards:

Elliot Benchetrit (FRA)

Hugo Gaston (FRA)

Quentin Halys (FRA)

Antoine Hoang (FRA)

Maxime Janvier (FRA)

Harold Mayot (FRA)

Andy Murray (GBR)

Arthur Rinderknech (FRA)

Note that Harold Mayot, who is currently No. 1 in the ITF Junior rankings, is also entered in the junior championships at Roland Garros.

The women's wild cards:

Eugenie Bouchard (CAN)

Clara Burel (FRA)

Elsa Jacquemot (FRA)

Chloe Pacquet (FRA)

Pauline Parmentier (FRA)

Diane Parry (FRA)

Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL)

Harmony Tan (FRA)

The 19-year-old Burel is the 2018 ITF World Junior Champion, Parry is currently No. 2 in the ITF Junior rankings, but is not entered in the junior event. 

The list of qualifying wild cards can be found at the Roland Garros website.