Max Schönhaus: Hesse's tennis prodigy is conquering the junior world!

Max Schönhaus: Hesse's tennis prodigy is conquering the junior world!

Max Schönhaus, an 18-year-old tennis talent from Germany, has caused a sensation: He was crowned the best young player in the world at the prestigious ITF Junior Finals in Chengdu, China. His magnificent victory in the final against the Romanian Yannick Theodor Alexandrescu 6:2, 6:0 not only gave him the title, but also an impressive prize money of 23,000 dollars and 1,000 world ranking points. This is the first title won by a German player at these finals, making Schönhaus' triumph even more remarkable. [Tagesschau] reports that this award represents one of the greatest successes in his young career.

Schönhaus' path to victory took him through an intense semi-final in which he recorded two group wins before meeting Jacopo Vasami in the decisive match, who had to withdraw due to injury. With his strong performance at the tournament, Schönhaus has also solidified his current status in the ITF junior rankings, which will allow him access to the ITF Junior Accelerator program. This program supports young talents on their way into the professional tennis world [Sportschau].

The next steps

But that's just the beginning for Schönhaus. From 2026 he plans to make the full step into professional tennis and would like to compete with the best in the industry. Names like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are among the players he would like to compete against. Last season he reached the final of the Grand Slam in Paris and made it to the last four at Wimbledon. These achievements have earned great respect not only from the sports world, but also from youth national coach Philipp Petzschner, who praised Schönhaus for his performance and his attitude.

The rising star is currently active in the Rhine-Main area and plays for TC Rot-Weiß Sprendlingen in the second Bundesliga. Despite his emerging success, he is often on the move and is often at the Hessian Tennis Association in Offenbach. His goal? He aims to reach the top 10 in the world rankings - and the signs are good for the ambitious player.

Important milestones at a glance

Schönhaus is currently 843rd in the men's ATP rankings, but can continue to rise with his excellent placement in the ITF junior rankings. The record $220,000 in travel scholarships awarded through the Junior Accelerator Program could further help him ease the transition to higher professional tournaments. So it could be that we will soon be hearing a lot more from Max Schönhaus - the young player has the potential to shake up the tennis world. And the journey has just begun!