Junior competition action delivered fiercely-competitive matches and a host of firsts on Friday at Australian Open 2025, with the boys’ and girls’ singles semifinals, and boys’ and girls’ doubles finals, taking place at Melbourne Park.
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Kristina Penickova had a day to remember, with success in singles and doubles play. Alongside her twin sister Annika Penickova, the American No. 6 seeds clinched the girls' doubles title in comfortable fashion, defeating No. 2 seeds Emerson Jones (Australia) and Hannah Klugman (Great Britain) 6-4 6-2 in 63 minutes.
The Penickova twins, wearing matching Nike outfits and sharing identical looks, were near-perfect mirrors on the court as they broke their opponents six times out of 11 opportunities.
Kristina’s stellar doubles form continued from her singles campaign earlier in the day, when she overcame Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova 6-4 4-6 7-5 in a gruelling semifinal that lasted close to two-and-a-half hours.
Despite a shaky start in the third set, losing her first two service games, Penickova mounted a remarkable comeback to become the first American to reach the AO girls’ singles final since 2012.
In the boys’ doubles final, No. 2 seeds Maxwell Exsted (USA) and Jan Kumstat (Czech Republic) clinched the junior boys’ doubles championship with a 7-6(6) 6-3 victory over Ognjen Milic and Egor Pleshivtsev. For Exsted, it was back-to-back AO doubles titles, albeit with a different partner this year after winning the 2024 event with compatriot Cooper Woestendick.
Kumstat celebrated his first major trophy, saying, “I’m very happy because I’ve been in finals before, but this is the first trophy.” Exsted reflected on their journey, noting, “It’s really important, and another step towards where you want to go.” He also expressed pride in their resilience during challenging matches throughout the tournament.
In the other girls' semifinal, Japan's Wakana Sonobe made history as the first Japanese player to reach the Australian Open girls' final, earning her spot by defeating top seed Emerson Jones in straight sets, 6-3 6-4.
Reflecting on her performance, Sonobe said, “Once I broke her early, I knew to relax and just hit hard.”
On the boys' side, Switzerland’s Henry Bernet advanced to the singles final in straight sets, defeating No. 7 seed Oskari Paldanius 7-6(6) 6-2. The opening set was intense, as neither player could break serve. Bernet then capitalised on his tiebreak win to dominate the second set, breaking Paladanius' first two service games and not allowing a single break point.
Bernet, riding an 11-match winning streak in Australia, entered the tournament fresh off his J300 Traralgon victory. Now in his first Grand Slam boys’ singles final, Bernet remarked, “I just hope I can be ready tomorrow and have a good match. In juniors, it’s very close – everyone can beat everyone.”
Coached by Severin Lüthi, who famously worked with Swiss great Roger Federer, Bernet showcases classic Swiss traits, including an elegant one-handed backhand. He acknowledged his connections to Swiss tennis icons Federer and Stan Wawrinka, citing them as key inspirations for his career.
In an all-American boys' semifinal, Ben Willwerth defeated No. 5 seed Jagger Leach in three sets, 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2.
After dropping the first-set tiebreak, Willwerth rebounded with an early break in the second set. He took full control in the third, denying Leach any break-point opportunities and converting all of his own. The American adds another to the list of firsts by reaching his maiden Grand Slam final.