27 September 2022 | Tennis West

Some of Australia’s best up-and-coming junior tennis players will have the opportunity to compete at upcoming national championships in Adelaide, Melbourne and Wodonga over the next few months.

The Australian Junior Hardcourt Championships presented by Kia got underway in Adelaide on Monday, with more than 190 juniors competing in 14-and-under (14/u) and 12-and-under (12/u) age categories.

> VIEW: Australian Junior Hardcourt Championships draws and results

The Australian Junior Grasscourt Championships for 12/u and 14/u competitors will be contested next January in Wodonga, Victoria. The Australian Junior Claycourt Championships were held earlier in the year in Canberra.

“National junior championships are a great way for younger up-and-coming players to come together, and gain experience competing against some of the best other young players in the country in a fun and organised environment,” said Australian Championships Tournament Director Francis Soyer.

“It’s also very important for junior development to offer multiple opportunities for young players to gain experience competing on different surfaces.”

A transformed December Showdown Masters will also be hosted at Melbourne Park in December, with the top-ranked players in each of the respective age categories; 18/u (top 16), 16/u (top 32), 14/u (top 16) and 12/u (top 16), invited to compete against their highest-ranked peers.

“The introduction of the new-look December Showdown, will also bring together and reward the country’s highest-ranked players, to compete in a professionally run tournament at the home of the Australian Open, across all junior competitive age groups from 18-and-under, down to 12-and-under players,” said Soyer.

December Showdown is back after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. The competition was first introduced by Tennis Australia in 2008, and has seen many of Australia’s most prolific players – such as Ash Barty, Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur – competing and winning national titles as juniors.

> VIEW: Tennis Australia’s Competitive Play calendar

Book online, play today: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!