New Kids on the Court: Who are tennis' next big superstars

Last weekend one of the biggest tournaments in junior tennis took place in Chengdu at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre. The best u18 players from both the Girls and Boys ITF junior tours took to the court to take the next big steps for their careers.

This prestigious tournament has been the launching platform for some of tennis’ most recognisable champions, including Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Rafael Jordar, Andrey Rublev, Sofya Kenin, Markéta Vondroušová and Elena Rybakina.

But which of them impressed the most?

Xinran Sun (CHN)

I suppose it is only right to start with by far the most impressive player of the week. Unlike the boy’s side of the draw, which looked like it had two or three potential champions after the group stages, the girl’s side of the draw only ever looked to have one winner.

Sun was ruthlessly dominant in her group, winning every match, not dropping a set, and only losing 15 games in her three matches. She demonstrated excellent hitting off both sides, with her backhand being especially impressive. With huge ground strokes and exceptional composure, she continued to thrill her home crowd en route to the semi-finals, where she dismantled the #2 seed Jana Kovackova in straight sets.

In the final awaited, one of Sun’s great adversaries from the 2026 season, Anna Pushkareva, who had defeated Sun in the Wimbledon Final. Pushkareva gave Sun her biggest challenge of the tournament but was defeated all the same, with Sun emerging victorious in three sets 6-3, 6-7, 6-1.

If there is any weakness in Sun’s game that needs improving, it is probably her serve, but this is the case for most youngsters, with the serve consistently proving to be something that improves over time.

I struggle to overstate quite how impressive Sun was during the course of this tournament; she will be a force to be reckoned with on the WTA tour and has already picked up some impressive scalps, beating Eva Lys and world number 38 Cristina Bucsa on her way to a third-round loss to Coco Gauff at the China Open earlier this year. The future is very bright for China’s next tennis superstar, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what she does next.

Jordan Lee (USA)

As this year’s Wimbledon champion, a lot of eyes were already on Jordan Lee coming into this tournament. The American has received a large amount of media attention since defeating Cruz Hewitt at Wimbledon earlier this year and backed up any hype with a number of standout performances in Chengdu.

After losing a three-set thriller to Ziga Sesko, Lee had to defeat the number 1 seed Jamie Mackenzie to proceed to the semi-final stage. Lee put on a staggering display of athleticism in a shot-making to defeat Mackenzie and progress to the semis, where the big hitting Vincent Reisach awaited.

Lee easily defeated Reisach to set up a rematch with Ziga Sesko in the final. The first set went the way of Lee, but after he found himself 5-2 down in set two, the final looked destined for three sets. But Lee demonstrated exceptional battling spirit to win five games in a row to clinch the title from Sesko.

If you consider the best players of the last 20 years, all have been exceptional movers. Jordan Lee was perhaps not the biggest hitter in the tournament, but he was by far the best mover. His court coverage was exceptional, and his speed around the court is on par with some of the current best in the men’s game. If his ground strokes continue to develop, as I’m sure they will, he will be a top ATP player.

Anna Pushkareva

The runner-up, Pushkareva, only won two games against Sun in the group stages but showed great character to come back and push Sun all the way in the final. With a big serve and bigger ground strokes, Pushkareva has all the attributes to be an extremely successful professional. She and Sun seem to have an excellent rivalry brewing, having gone 1-1 in Grand Slam finals this season. Hopefully both can take this fierce rivalry into the pros.

Ziga Sesko (SLO)

Despite missing out on the title, Sesko is easily one of the big winners from this week. His all-round game is exceptional, and his poise under pressure was, for the most part, good, until that final set against Lee. Sesko has proven that he is easily one of the best juniors on the tour and will develop into a top player in the ATP. He might just be missing that x-factor to propel him to superstardom, but with the right development, you never know.

Vincent Reisach (GER)

Reisach came into the tournament as only the 7th seed, perhaps slightly in the shadow of his compatriot and #1 seed, Jamie Mackenzie. But after the conclusion of the finals in Chengdu, there can be little doubt which player was happier with their tournament. Reisach topped his group before losing to Lee in the semi-finals but impressed heavily with his power (especially on his forehand) and court coverage. He will develop into a top player.

Mariia Makarova

The second Russian player in the girls' draw, Makarova, is straight out of the Rybakina playbook. A huge windback forehand that caused nightmares for everyone she played. Struggled emotionally against her friend Pushkareva in the semi-finals, but her game is perfectly suited to thrive in the WTA.

Ksenia Efremova (FRA)

Despite missing out on the knockout rounds, Efremova impressed with her huge ground strokes and willingness to attack almost every ball. She clearly possesses excellent power on both wings and will be a force on the tour in the future.

Jamie Mackenzie (GER)

Ridiculous power off forehand and backhand as well as the most impressive serve in the tournament. His movement was poor, however, and I see this being a big hinderance to him in the future.