China Open and French Open Cultural Exchange Program

The history of French Open ball kids’ interflow

This year’s China Open and French Open continue the on-going cooperation between the two tournaments and this agreement will extend through the 2027 French Open. Each year, 4 outstanding ball kids from the French Open and the China Open will go to their respective tournaments for ball kids exchange activities, experience the local culture and show the style of ball kids.

“The ball kids program between Roland Garros and China Open is building bridges for the future,” said co-Tournament Director Lars Graff. “It gives an opportunity for the kids to experience a different culture and participate in a  world class sporting event . The
ball kids learn how to interact with people from a different country and get friends for life.”

In 2013, the China Open reached a cooperation with the French Tennis Federation and the French Open. During the 2014 French Open, Chinese ball kids wearing uniforms with Chinese national flag armbands ran together with French ball kids on the court. As one of the international exchange programs marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France at that time, the ball kids Grand Slam exchange program demonstrated the level and quality of Chinese ball kids.

In the 2014 French Open, Chinese Open ball kid Wang Sining carried the men's singles runner-up trophy to the award ceremony, and Chinese Open ball kid Tang Ruchen carried the women's singles runner-up trophy to the award ceremony.

In the 2015 French Open, Chinese Open ball kid Gong Boming carried the women's singles championship trophy to the scene of the award ceremony, which is the second consecutive year in the French Open final award ceremony appeared with Chinese ball kids.

Similarly, from 2014 to 2019, there were four ball kids from the French Open running on the court of the China Open every year. 

The French Open Junior International Wildcard Tournament

The French Open Junior International Wildcard Tournament began in 2016, usually held in April of the same year in three divisions. The winners will get involved in the final wildcard tournament in Paris at the end of May. The final winner will obtain the wildcard of French Open junior tournament of the same year.

In 2019, for example, the French Open Junior International Zone wildcard tournament was held in three regions, China, Brazil and India, sponsored by OPPO. The China Division competition was held in Yunnan Anning Hot Spring Peninsula International Tennis Center on April 10, 2019. The men's and women's singles champions were Li Zixuan and Tian Fangran. After winning the wildcard finals in Paris on May 25, Fangran won the French Open Junior wildcard and played in the first round of the French Open Junior tournament.

It is worth mentioning that the top seeds of the men's and women's singles of the 2019 French Open junior tournament were Lorenzo Musetti, who has reached a career-high No. 15 in the ATP Rankings, and Leylah Fernandez, the runner-up in the 2021 US Open women's singles. Among them, Fernandez won the French Open junior women's singles champion that year, and the men's singles champion was won by Holger Rune, who reached a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 4 last year. It fully reflects the gold content of the French Open Junior events.

The China Open hosted the French Open Junior wildcard tournament from March 27 to 30, 2014, in which men's singles runner-up Qi Xi and women's singles champion Zheng Wushuang received wildcards to participate in the French Open junior tournament of the same year.

The 2015 French Open Junior wildcard tournament was held at Tianchen Tennis Club in Shanghai. Lv Chengze and Yuan Yue won the men's and women's singles titles, respectively.