It is almost time for play to get underway at IGA Stadium as the qualifying round of the ITF World Junior Tennis team events begins on Wednesday. Team Canada is competing in all four events, the U14 boys and girls, the U16 Billie Jean King Cup Juniors and the U16 Davis Cup Juniors.
The draw took place on Tuesday with the three days of play set to start on Wednesday at 11 am.
Before the first balls are struck, let’s take the time to meet the 12 youngsters who will be suiting up for Canada this week in Montreal. They all sat down with Tennis Canada on Tuesday.
U14 World Junior Tennis – Girls
From left to right: Amy Shen, Isabella Ruyu Yan, Tessa Puente, Captain Lan Yao-Gallop (Photo: David Kirouac)
Tessa Puente
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Age: 13
How she got into tennis: I was four. My parents always played.
Favourite thing about tennis: Travelling
Puente won both the singles and doubles titles at the U14 Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals in March.
Amy Shen
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Age: 14
How she got into tennis: I was seven. There were public courts near my house.
Favourite thing about tennis: The friends we make while playing
Shen won her first ITF Junior title in doubles on home soil last year in Kamloops.
Isabella Ruyu Yan
Hometown: Regina, SK
Age: 13
How she got into tennis: I was seven and a half.
Favourite thing about tennis: Travelling
Yan was victorious at the U16 Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals in March, winning the singles title.
U14 World Junior Tennis – Boys
From left to right: Ilya Sherifali, Deniz Karabulut, Alden Yu, Captain Roberto Brogin (Photo: David Kirouac)
Deniz Karabulut
Hometown: Oakville, ON
Age: 14
How he got into tennis: There was a tennis match on TV at my house and I just fell in love with the sport from there. I started at five years old.
Favourite thing about tennis: The people with the best mentality usually overcome the matches the best.
Alongside Yu, Karabulut won the national doubles title at the U14 Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals a few weeks ago.
Ilya Sherifali
Hometown: Waterloo, ON
Age: 14
How he got into tennis: Watching my brother on the sidelines. I started when I was four or five years old.
Favourite thing about tennis: Being as independent as you can on the court. It’s you against the opponent but it’s you against yourself too. Seeing how independent you can be, how you can play yourself.
Sherifali reached both the singles and doubles finals of the U14 Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals last month.
Alden Yu
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Age: 14
How he got into tennis: I started at four years old. My parents told me about the sport and as soon as I started playing, I liked it.
Favourite thing about tennis: The fact that I can compete and I’m the only one that can affect the outcome on the court.
Yu won both the singles and doubles titles at the U14 Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals in March.
Billie Jean King Cup Juniors
From left to right: Captain Sharon Fichman, Charlize Celebrini, Elicia Lin, Laurence Demers (Photo: David Kirouac)
Charlize Celebrini
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Age: 16
How she got into tennis: I played a lot of different sports when I was young. I started around six years old. I liked tennis the best so I stuck with it.
Favourite thing about tennis: The individuality of the sport. Also travelling and meeting new people.
Celebrini is coming off a national doubles title at the U18 Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals earlier in April.
Laurence Demers
Hometown: Quebec City, QC
Age: 16
How she got into tennis: I started playing at age 5. I was looking for a sport so I just tried tennis and I liked it so I kept going.
Favourite thing about tennis: Winning. The winning feeling feels great after all the effort you make.
Demers has won three of her last four tournaments on the ITF Junior circuit.
Elicia Lin
Hometown: Calgary, AB
Age: 15
How she got into tennis: I was five or six, my brother started playing and I followed.
Favourite thing about tennis: The environment and that there’s no time limit. You can come back no matter what even if you are down however many match points.
Lin is the reigning U18 national indoor champion, having won the Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals at the beginning of April.
Davis Cup Juniors
From left to right: Joshua Adamson, Antoine Généreux, Caden Colburne, Captain Hugo Di Feo (Photo: David Kirouac)
Joshua Adamson
Hometown: Ottawa, ON
Age: 15
How he got into tennis: My dad was a coach. I started playing at four or five.
Favourite thing about tennis: I like the team part. I like being able to travel and play in different places.
Adamson has won a pair of ITF J60 titles already in 2025.
Caden Colburne
Hometown: Truro, Nova Scotia
Age:15
How he got into tennis: My mum was working at a tennis club and I started playing when I was five.
Favourite thing about tennis: The team aspect like we have this week [at Davis Cup Juniors]. I love playing with my friends and playing for my country.
Colburne opened his 2025 season on the ITF Junior Tour with a title in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Antoine Généreux
Hometown: Boischatel, Quebec
Age: 16
How he got into tennis: Because of my brother. I always wanted to do the same thing as him. I started playing at five years old.
Favourite thing about tennis: The team part is very fun. The fight, every match fighting for your country and having fun, proving that we can deliver solid tennis and performances.
Last month, Généreux won the U16 boys singles event at the Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals.
Each division consists of four teams. The top two teams in each group qualify for the Finals later in the year.
Play will begin on Wednesday. Here are Canada’s match-ups:
U14 WJT girls vs Dominican Republic
U14 WJT boys vs Mexico
U16 Billie Jean King Cup Juniors vs Puerto Rico
U16 Davis Cup Juniors vs United States
All ties begin at 11 am.
CLICK HERE for more information about the event.
Feature Photo : David Kirouac
