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The 17-year-old Chun Hsin Tseng and Clara Burel have secured 2018 ITF World Champion awards after a stellar season they both enjoyed. One of the biggest junior honors has been established in 1978 when Ivan Lendl and Hana Mandilikova earned awards, followed by some prominent names in the last 40 years, including Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Alexander Zverev, Martina Hingis, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Victoria Azarenka.
Chun Hsin Tseng has been one of the most prominent players of his generation, already winning multiple pro titles to enter the top-450 and he has become junior number 1 in June, staying there until the end of the season to wrap up the year-end honors.
The youngster who shares the birthday with Roger Federer has played only nine junior tournaments in 2018 but that was enough to forge a huge lead over Hugo Gaston and other closest rivals after lifting two Major titles.
After winning the doubles crown at the AGL Loy Yang Traralgon Junior International, Chun Hsin reached the singles final at the Australian Open, losing to Sebastian Korda in two tight sets. Focusing on his pro career, Tseng stayed away from the junior tennis until May and he went on to win Roland Garros, defeating Korda in the semis and Sebastian Baez in the title match to lift his first Major crown.
Following an early exit at Roehampton, Chun Hsin claimed another big title at Wimbledon, becoming the first back-to-back Grand Slam winner since 2012 and the first who conquered Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same season since Gael Monfils in 2004! Thiago Seyboth Wild halted Tseng in the semi-final of the US Open and he failed to win a medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in October, losing in the quarter-final in singles and mixed doubles.
In his last junior tournament in a career, Chun Hsin lost in the final of the ITF Junior Masters to Brandon Nakashima and he will now shift his focus onto pro career, seeking the place in the Top 200 in 2019 if he finds the rhythm at Challenger level.