Asian Juniors to Secure French Open Spot Through Roland-Garros Series

Indian and other Asian tennis players have a chance to secure a direct entry into the junior French Open through the inaugural Roland-Garros Junior Series. The qualifying event will be held in Tokyo from October 16-25. Regional qualifying events will take place in Kazakhstan and China. The initiative aims to increase Asian representation in top international rankings.

Indian players, along with other Asian competitors, will have a chance to secure direct entry into the junior French Open through the inaugural Roland-Garros Junior Series. The qualifying event is scheduled to take place from October 16-25 in Tokyo.

To participate in the Tokyo event, players from the Asian region must first compete in regional qualifying tournaments in Kazakhstan, from August 5-9, and China, from August 11-17.

The top two finalists, both boys and girls, from these regional events will earn their spots in the Tokyo competition, where the winner will secure a direct entry into the 2025 junior French Open. This tournament is a result of a collaboration between the French Tennis Federation (FFT) and the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF).

The initiative aims to address the comparatively smaller representation of Asian players in both professional and junior international rankings, especially in contrast to Europe and North America, stated the ATF in a press release.

Yuriy Polskiy, ATF President, expressed his enthusiasm for the project, highlighting the importance of providing such opportunities to deserving Asian juniors.

Kei Nishikori, the first Asian tennis player to win an Olympic medal and reach a Grand Slam final, is the tournament ambassador. The Roland-Garros Junior Series has successfully been conducted in Brazil since 2022, featuring top Latin American junior players.

Roland-Garros tournament Director Amélie Mauresmo shared her excitement in extending this world-class event to Japan, aiming to offer the best Asian juniors a taste of the Roland-Garros experience on clay in Tokyo.

(With inputs from agencies.)