Chengdu, China, 22 October 2024 | Dan Imhoff

Emerson Jones knows never to take big finals for granted after coming up short in two Grand Slam deciders this year.

Having created history though as the first Australian ITF Junior World Tour Finals champion in Chengdu at the weekend, it came as a healthy reinforcement – albeit with a dash of relief – that this was where she belonged.

A 6-4 6-4 victory over Czech fifth seed Laura Samson delivered the world’s No.1 junior her biggest title of a promising career, which this season has also included trophies at the J300 Traralgon tournament on home soil and the J500 event in Milan.

Jones was also the Australian Open and Wimbledon finalist, where she fell both times to Slovak Renata Jamrichova.

> READ MORE: Emerson and Hayden Jones first siblings to qualify for ITF Junior Finals

“It’s still a shock to me. I’m pretty proud of myself how I handled everything this week during the close matches. I’m really happy with my result,” the 16-year-old told the ITF.

“I just try to stay aggressive, and I knew what I need to do playing my own game. Mentally, I tried to be better because the first match I wasn’t very good mentally, so I just tried to pick it up from there.

“Obviously, I want to try to win a final and I did, so I’m really proud of that. It’s tough to make all finals and not win one.”

Emerson Jones holds the trophy after winning the 2024 ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals in
Chengdu, China. Photo: ITF

Jones had already joined esteemed company when she took her place in the field of eight before victories over Japan’s Wakana Sonobe, Belgium’s Jeline Vandromme, Chilean Antonia Vergara Rivera and Great Britain’s Mika Stojsavljevic en route to the final.

Grand Slam champions Marketa Vondrousova, Elena Rybakina, Sofia Kenin and Jelena Ostapenko had contested the ITF Junior Finals, while Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev, Zheng Qinwen, Taylor Fritz, Leylah Fernandez, Lorenzo Musetti, Marta Kostyuk and Camila Osorio had also competed before their successful professional transitions.

One person never short on healthy reinforcement throughout the season and as Jones drew closer to her gradual transition to the WTA Tour has been her coach, Dave Taylor, the man who guided Sam Stosur to the 2011 US Open title.

“This week, he’s the one who told me I need to be aggressive and everything,” she said. “I just take his advice because I know that he knows exactly what he’s talking about. I took his advice and got the result.”

>VIEW: ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals draws and results

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