Winning the Australian Open is a remarkable achievement in itself, but claiming the title as a junior and a senior is a rare feat few have accomplished.
Stefan Edberg is the only man to achieve this in the Open era, while Serena and Venus Williams, Martina Hingis and Victoria Azarenka have done so on the women’s side.
This year, two players – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Alexander Zverev – remain in contention to join this exclusive club and solidify their status among the legends of the AO.
Pavlyuchenkova claimed not one but two junior titles here in Melbourne and has reached the quarterfinals this year with wins over Yuan Yue, Anastasia Potapova, Laura Siegemund and Donna Vekic.
Although she faces a tough match-up against No.1 seed Aryna Sabalenka for a semifinal berth, Pavlyuchenkova is no stranger to this stage of the tournament. This will mark her fourth quarterfinal appearance - the most of all the Grand Slams.
The 33-year-old credited a combination of factors for her record in Melbourne, although she is honest about how the year could play out. “It's just the start of the season," she said. "Then I run out of energy by the end of the season.”
As for the possibility of winning a senior title to add to her junior accolades, Pavlyuchenkova admitted she isn't getting ahead of herself. “I don’t know," she said. "It’s still pretty far. I don’t even think about it.”
If she can achieve the feat, she will be the first former girls' champion to do so since Serena Williams claimed her seventh senior AO title in 2017.
No.2 seed Zverev, who claimed his junior title here in 2014, has booked his place in the quarterfinals - and a clash with No.12 seed Tommy Paul - at this year’s Australian Open.
A semifinalist last year, Zverev is seeking a maiden Grand Slam senior trophy to add to his boys' singles title, which he achieved with a straight sets victory over the USA's Stefan Kozlov 11 years ago.
The German will now fight for a semifinal meeting with either Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz, and knows that from this point onward there will only be “tough battles” as he pursues his prize.
Whether it’s Pavlyuchenkova’s tenacity or Zverev’s hunger, as the tournament narrows to its final stages, the race to join this elite club of champions is not just about trophies — it’s about cementing a legacy.