48th Junior Orange Bowl Tennis

Want a preview of the potential 2020 Wimbledon champions? You're in the right place.

The 48th Junior Orange Bowl Tennis Championship, featuring the world's top players in the 12-Under and 14-Under age groups, begins Thursday at four locations: the University of Miami, Biltmore Tennis Center, Tropical Park and Salvadore Park.

Last week, the 16- and 18-year-olds took center stage at the Dunlop Orange Bowl International Championship in Key Biscayne, and now the spotlight turns to the younger set.

The field of 1,200 includes players from Europe, Asia and throughout North, Central and South America, all of whom dream of making the big time. No doubt, some of them will.

Reigning U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro won the 14s division in 2002. Other former winners include Andre Agassi, Chris Evert, Andy Roddick, Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Monica Seles, Jim Courier and Mary Joe Fernandez.

Drew Dawson (Irvine, Calif.) and Brooke Austin (Indianapolis) are the top-ranked Americans in the boys' and girls' 14s. Other top U.S. boys include No. 2 Mackenzie McDonald (Piedmont, Calif.) and No. 3 Joseph DiGiulio (Newport Beach, Calif.)

Austin won 11 girls' events in 2009 and is joined by No. 4 Spencer Liange (Potomac, Md.).

The top international players are No. 5 Frederick Silva (Portugal), No. 6 Artem Oganesyan (Russia) and No. 7 Jose Chamba (Ecuador). The girls' No. 1 is Carolina Costamagna of Argentina, and Dominica Gonzalez of Ecuador in No. 2. Top Europeans include Marijana Vlahinic (Croatia) and Darya Lebesheva (Belarus).

South Floridians to watch include Roy Lederman (Miami), Justin Butsch (Miami), Alanna Wolff (Boca Raton) and Alexandra Kiick (Plantation), daughter of former Miami Dolphins star Jim Kiick. Rasheeda McAdoo, daughter of Miami Heat assistant Bob McAdoo, is entered in the 14s.

In the Boys' 12s, watch for top-ranked Tommy Paul (Greenville, N.C.), No. 2 Henrik Wiersholm (Kirkland, Wash.) and Stefan Kozlov, whose father, Andrei, runs the Kozlov Tennis Academy in Pembroke Pines. Kozlov won the Eddie Herr 12s title a few weeks ago.

Maria Shishkina, 11, has some fanfare after breezing to the 12s title at Eddie Herr 6-1, 6-0. The native of Kazakhstan is a U.S. citizen now and trains at Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton. Others to watch in the Girls' 12s are Kenadi Hance of Torrance, Calif., and Julia O'Laughlin of Boca Raton, ranked No. 4.

Each division plays at a different venue. Boys' 14s are at UM, Girls' 14s at the Biltmore, Boys' 12s at Tropical Park and Girls' 12s at Salvadore Park. The finals are Wednesday at UM for the Boys' and Girls' 14s and Boys 12s, and the Girls' 12s final is Tuesday at Salvadore Park. Matches begin at 8 a.m. daily, and admission is free.

-- MICHELLE KAUFMAN