In the final week of the Australian Open, the outside courts host the best of the world’s junior players.
It’s a great opportunity to get some snaphots up close.
Anastasia Lizunova (Russia) beat qualifier Riyo Yoshida (Japan) 6-2, 7-5 before losing to 8th seed and eventual semifinalist Thea Frodin (USA), 5-7, 4-6.
Germany’s Mariella Thamm easily defeated wild card Ran Wakana of Japan. In the second round she lost to No. 13 seed Mariia Makarova, 6-4, 6-3.
As a qualifier, New Zealander Aishi Das won her first round three-setter against unseeded Serbian Anastasija Cvetković. She then went out in the second round to another unseeded player, Russian Anna Pushkareva, 3 & 2.
Qualifier Polina Skliar (Ukraine) began with a comfortable win over unseeded Tereza Heřmanová (Czechia), 6-4, 6-2. Then, like everyone else who played her, she lost to Ksenia Efremova. Still, she was one of only two players who managed to take Efremova to three sets. The score to Efremova was 6-2, 1-6, 6-0.
Alexandra Malova (Russia) lost just three games to fellow unseeded player, Kali Šupová (Slovakia) in the first round, before 1oth seed Kanon Sawashiro (Japan) defeated her, 6-2, 6-4.
Romanian Maia Ilinca Burcescu was unseeded but defeated the 16th seed Sofie Hettlerová (Czechia), 6-2, 6-3. Following that excellent win, Burcescu couldn’t overcome unseeded Sofiia Bielinska of Ukraine, going down 0-6, 4-6.
Unseeded Qu Yihan of China got past 15th seed Tahlia Kokkinis of Australia who had been a quarterfinalist last year. Qu won that match and her next against Azuna Ichioka (Japan) in straight sets. She lost in the third round to Russia’s Rada Zolotareva, 6-3, 6-7(3), 1-6.
Anna Pushkareva (Russia) got past Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (India) and Aishi Das (New Zealand) in straight sets. In the third round, 11th seed Yushan Shao (China) defeated Pushkareva, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Kanon Sawashiro of Japan was the 10th seed in Melbourne. She defeated wild card Ava Beck (Australia), unseeded Alexandra Malova (Russia) and 5th seed Zhang Ruien (China) in straight sets to make the quarterfinals. She bowed out of the tournament at the hands of 3rd seed Ksenia Efremova (France), 3-6, 5-7.
Seeded No. 13, Mariia Makarova (Russia) took 145 minutes to get past qualifier Lin Yujun (China), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. She then beat Mariella Thamm (Germany) and top seed Alena Kovačková in straight sets.
Having made it to the quarterfinals, she was defeated there by 8th seed Thea Frodin (USA), 6-3, 6-0.
Before she reached the semis, 8th seed Thea Frodin (USA) was most tested in her first round match against Maja Pawelska (Poland). Frodin won 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Otherwise it was straight sets all the way until she met Ekaterina Tupitsyna (Russia). The result for their semi was 3-6, 4-6 to Tupitsyna.
Rada Zolotareva (Russia) made it to the semis where she was defeated by soon-to-be champion Ksenia Efremova (France), 0-6, 6-4, 4-6. On the way to the semis, she ended the campaigns of Nancy Lee (USA), the 2nd seed Jana Kovačková (Czechia), Qu Yihan and Shao Yushan, both of China. Other than Efremova, only Qu could force her to three sets.
Ksenia Efremova became the 2026 champion. As 3rd seed, she won in straight sets with the surprise exceptions of matches against wild card Polina Skliar (Ukraine) in the second round, 6-2, 1-6, 6-0, and unseeded Rada Zolotareva (Russia) in the semis, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4. Efremova’s opponent in the final was unseeded Ekaterina Tupitsyna, another Russian.
At the end, the French girl held up the trophy through a score of 6-3, 7-5.
Title photo of Ksenia Efremova by Vanessa Taylor