A Belgian player wins the Junior Masters
Jeline Vandromme wins the most important international junior tournament of the year.
In Chengdu, China, Jeline Vandromme dominated all her opponents in the girls' singles tournament of the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals, the tournament bringing together the best junior players of the season.
In the final, the 17-year-old Belgian, ranked 8th in the junior world rankings and seeded No. 4, defeated 16-year-old American Kristina Penickova (ITF 3/No. 1) in three sets, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5, after a battle lasting 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Before that, the Bruges native had a perfect run, with three group stage wins, including an initial victory against Penickova 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, followed by a 6-4, 6-2 win against Briton Hannah Klugman (ITF 2/No. 2) in the semifinals.
Having already won the US Open junior title in an up-level competition, Jeline Vandromme now aims to add to her already impressive list of achievements in the adult ranks, which includes four ITF tournaments and a notable victory in the Billie Jean King Cup against France's Alizé Cornet.
Of course, this brilliant junior run offers no guarantees for the future. However, many experts agree that this protégé of Kim Clijsters has tremendous potential to succeed in the professional ranks.
A promising new Belgian career to watch!