La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club to host IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge Finals

By SDCN Editor

La Jolla, CA–The La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club will host the prestigious International Club Rod Laver Junior Challenge Worldwide Finals on November 6 through November 11.

The IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge Worldwide Finals will feature teams from Argentina, Great Britain, Italy, South Africa, and the United States. A team from the Asia / Pacific Region will be determined later this month. Each team will be composed of two boys and two girls, ages 16 and under, and a traveling coach.

Team matches will consist of two boys’ singles matches, two girls’ singles matches, one boys’ doubles match and one girls’ doubles match. A match tie-break in mixed doubles will be played as a decisive match if necessary to determine the winner. The event will use a round-robin format with each team playing a total of five matches. The team with the best overall record will be crowned champion on the final day.

The London-based International Lawn Tennis Club ( known as the “IC”) started the IC Junior Challenge in 2005 to help junior players 16 and under from around the world gain experience. Past participants include former ATP player Chris Eaton of Great Britain and current WTA stars Robin Montgomery from the United States and Renata Zararzua of Mexico.

“We are delighted to bring the IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge Worldwide Finals to the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. It is the first time we will be hosting this unique event,” said Tournament Director Bill Kellogg. “With teams coming from around the world to compete for the title, it’s going to be an incredible week of international junior tennis. I encourage tennis fans to mark their calendars and make plans to attend.”  

Tennis legend Rod Laver, who endorses the event, will be in attendance during the Worldwide Finals. “This is an excellent opportunity for these junior tennis players to gain international experience in a team event. I’m really looking forward to watching these youngsters compete for the title in November at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club,” Laver said.

Tournament officials have initiated a fundraising campaign to help cover the costs of staging the event. “We are welcoming tax-deductible donations in support of these Junior Challenge Worldwide Finals,” Kellogg said.

The player field and additional information for the IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge Worldwide Finals will be announced in the coming months prior to the event.

The International Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1924 with a view to improving relationships between countries that had been at war with each other. International tennis matches, played in the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship, were to be the catalyst. 

There are now 42 Clubs,  representing 42 nations on 5 continents, enhancing international understanding and goodwill through the sport of tennis. 

IC Members have played representative tennis abroad as a prerequisite to membership. Fair play, sportsmanship, philanthropy, friendship, and cultural exchanges are all hallmarks of the IC experience. A focus on introducing Juniors to the ideals of the IC  was introduced in 2005 with the establishment of the IC Junior Challenge competition.