The top international youth arrives in Offenbach
From April 26th to May 1st, a youth tournament of the highest international category will take place in Germany for the first time. The Grade A competition in Offenbach, which is placed directly below the Junior Grand Slams in terms of value, brings the world's best young players and the greatest talents from Germany to Hessen.
by p.m
last edit: Apr 12, 2022, 04:00 pm
“Having one of the finest and highest quality youth tournaments in the world in Germany is an important part of our youth work. It enables our talented players to gain game and competition practice at the highest international level,” says DTB Vice President Dirk Hordorff. "Germany is one of the few nations that has a youth tournament landscape with all categories," Hordorff continued.
The games of the International HTV Junior Open take place in the state performance center of the Hessian Tennis Association (HTV) in Offenbach. As for the juniors, German hopes rest on the three Porsche Junior Team players Carolina Kuhl (17, TV Fürth 1860, ITF junior ranking: 39), Joëlle Steur (18, Bielefeld TTC, ITF junior ranking: 53) and on Marie Vogt (17, TC Bernhausen, ITF junior ranking: 96). For the juniors, all eyes will be on Liam Gavrielides (18, BASF TC Ludwigshafen, ITF junior ranking: 39) from junior squad 1, who will start the race as the best German. In addition, eight young German players each received a wild card for the main draw.
"Highlight in the German youth tennis landscape"
"After the tournament could not take place for the last two years due to corona, we are now all the more looking forward to finally being able to experience top-class international youth tennis up close again. The upgrading of the tournament to the Grade A category by the ITF makes the joy even greater. The tournament will be the highlight of the German youth tennis landscape. Spectators are of course very welcome,” says HTV Sports and Tournament Director Jörg Barthel.
The youth tournament in Offenbach was considered a first-class address for prospective top players thanks to its good work over the almost three decades of its existence, even before the upgrade to the Grade A competition. Both later international stars such as Ashleigh Barty or Andrey Rublev as well as our current top professionals Angelique Kerber and Alexander Zverev have already served here.
Good to know: Most of the matches will be broadcast on the online streaming platform Tennis Channel at www.tennischannel.com . And: Spectators have free access to the tournament facility throughout the week.