Alexander Lantermann and Luna Gryp have flown the flag for Belgium, winning the boys' and girls' junior wheelchair singles titles at AO 2026.
Top Belgian seed Luna Gryp won the junior girls' wheelchair singles title over Japanese second seed Seira Matsuoka 6-4 6-4 in a closely contested final.
“I’m very surprised actually. I’ve played a lot against her and I’ve only won twice against her, the first time in three sets. I was really surprised when it was already over,” the 17-year-old admitted.
In a tight opening set with both players struggling to hold serve, it was the Belgian who finally held firm at 4-4 and wrestled control of the match.
Continuing this momentum into the second set, with a minor blip at the end, Gryp closed out the match with her depth and aggressive groundstrokes.
The Belgian explained that holding serve for the first time at 4-4 helped calm her nerves which allowed her to play freely.
“I think it was very important just to put her under pressure, relax myself a little bit and take control,” she said.
Playing in junior Grand Slams is a big deal for Gryp, who appreciates the effort that goes into organising a big tournament for young players.
“It means a lot to me because there are lots of people that know it, so it really has a name. If you’re a Grand Slam champion not a lot of people can say that. It’s amazing that they organise this for the junior wheelchair players,” she said.
Turning 18 this year, the Belgian wants to make the transition from junior to adult events in 2026.
“This year I want to play all the Grand Slams of course and hopefully win as much as possible,” she said.
“I also want to play a lot of adult tournaments just somewhere around Belgium. I don’t think I’m gonna play many other junior tournaments anymore. Just to get my level up and start battling the big people."
Having competed in women’s tournaments already, the rising Belgian star has first-hand experience of the level required to compete with the top wheelchair pros.
“I have already played some adult tournaments and they are a lot more consistent. So now if we have a rally of 10 balls it’s huge so I really have to keep the ball in much longer. And placing it closer to the line,” she said.
In the boys' singles wheelchair final, No.1 seed Alexander Lantermann was dominant in his defeat of Great Britain’s Matthew Knoesen 6-0 6-2.
Lantermann can add his singles silverware to the junior doubles title he shared with British teammate Lucas John De Gouveia on Friday.
“I can’t believe it right now. It feels not real, but I’m very grateful to be here,” the 16-year-old said after the match.
Only dropping nine points in the first set, the Belgian faced a taller order in the second set with many games going to deuce. While Lantermann dug himself out of all but two games, Knoesen showed tremendous heart to hang in there and keep the pressure on.
With his only loss coming at the hands of his British opponent in the round robin stage of the tournament, Lantermann learnt from his mistakes and successfully incorporated them into the final.
“Just go for your own strengths, don’t start with your opponents. I thought of myself, not of my opponent,” he said.
As the second Belgian player after Gryp to win a junior wheelchair singles title at AO 2026, Lantermann hopes their success inspires more wheelchair tennis players in his home country.
“It’s very nice but there aren’t a lot of boys and girls playing. I hope now that we won we can get wheelchair tennis a bit bigger in Belgium. Hopefully more people start playing,” he said.
Similar to Gryp, Lantermann wants to focus on playing adult events, explaining what he thinks it takes to compete on the men’s tour.
“It’s mentality, but also consistency is also a big thing. That’s the most important difference,” he said.
In just its second year as an event, the Australian Open has hosted another successful series of junior wheelchair events, with both top seeds claiming the ultimate glory.