Petits As

Les Petits As – Le Mondial Lacoste (English: Little champions – The Lacoste world championship) is a junior tennis tournament for players aged 12–14, held in Tarbes, France. This tournament is now one of the five Super Category tournaments in the U14 circuit of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour,[1][2] and it is universally recognized as the world’s leading indoor U14 competition.[3] The tournament is traditionally held at the end of January, although the 2020 and 2021 editions had to take place in September due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[3]

The event has seen a number of its champions go on to become slam winners, including Rafael Nadal, Michael Chang, Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Jeļena Ostapenko and Bianca Andreescu.[4][5] Due to the relatively restrictive age range, few players have won the title more than once, although Hingis and Timea Bacsinszky have both done so.[6] Most recently, upcoming Spanish player Carlos Boluda became the first boy to do so.

  1. ^ "Les Petits As - Le Mondial Lacoste promoted to the Super Category!". www.lespetitsas.com. 18 November 2019. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Super Category". www.tenniseurope.org. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b "'Les Petits As' 2021 to take place in September". www.tenniseurope.org. 29 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Ces célèbres joueurs de tennis ont joué à Tarbes dans leur jeunesse: des pépites d'archives" [These famous tennis players played in Tarbes in their youth: nuggets from the archives]. actu.fr (in French). 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Tennis. Les Petits As de Tarbes: machine à champions" [Tennis. Les Petits As de Tarbes: machine for champions]. www.ladepeche.fr (in French). 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  6. ^ "CHAMPIONS - Les Petits As". www.lespetitsas.com (in French). Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.