The ITF have confirmed the third edition of the competition will begin on October 23 next year in the Chinese city Chengdu.

Launched in 2015, the event aims to act as a showcase for the top eight players aged 18 years and under in both the boys' and girls' rankings.

It is hoped the competition will assist players to make the transition from junior tennis to the professional game, particularly as a total prize fund of $160,000 (£130,000/€145,000) in travel grants is up for grabs.

"Following the success of the first two ITF Junior Masters, we are pleased to be able to raise the status of this competition within the ITF junior calendar," said David Haggerty, ITF President.

"The ITF is committed to helping the top junior players with their transition into the professional ranks.

"We felt that by changing the timing of the event to later in the calendar year, it would be more appropriate for the top ranked junior players and there is the added importance of junior world ranking points."

The ranking points offered by the tournament will now play an important role in determining the end of year world number one standings for boys and girls.

Singles events at the tournament, which will take place at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre, will begin with two round robin groups of four players.

The top two players will then advance to compete in the semi-final stage of the event.

Qualification for the 2017 tournament is being taken from September 12 in 2016 until September 10, 2017.

The junior world rankings at the final date will be used to determine the qualifiers, with the event being open to players born in 1999 or later.

Russia’s Andrey Rublev and Shilin Xu of China won the inaugural competitions in 2015, while Seong Chan Hong of South Korea and Russia's Anna Blinkova triumphed last year.