Kazakhstan to host 2024 Roland Garros Junior qualifying for the first time

Kazakhstan’s Almaty is to host the qualifying event of the Roland Garros Junior Series by Renault for the Western and Central Asian region August this year, where 16 best players under 17 will get an opportunity to earn a direct entry into the French Open Junior Championships next year, Kazinform News Agency reports.

The Asian and French Tennis Federations signed a memo to promote clay court tennis in Asia as well as to hold a series of tournaments, with wild cards for U17 boys and girls for the main draw of the Roland Garros Junior 2025 and beyond on offer, said Yuriy Polskiy, President of the Asian Tennis Federation.

For the purpose of maximum engagement of all regions of Asia, in addition to the main qualification event set to take place in Japan, two more qualifying events will take place: one for the Western and Central Asian region in Almaty, Kazakhstan, while the players from East, South Asia and South East region will compete in Hainan, China.

According to Polskiy, the tournament is to see 16 top players from Central and Western Asia compete to earn an entry into the 2025 French Open Junior Championships.

Firstly, the tournament will be held in round-robin and knockout formats for all the players to get to play enough matches. Secondly, under 16 players will be able to earn ATF points in case they win the match as well as grants for best performance, he added.

Polskiy said it’s encouraging that the historic courts of GorkyTennis Park where Kazakhstani tennis began will for the first time host the Roland Garros Junior qualifying.