MELBOURNE, Australia — Swiss tennis player Henry Bernet gifted himself an outstanding present for his 18th birthday by clinching victory on Saturday, taking inspiration from his fellow countrymen, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, after defeating American Benjamin Willwerth 6-3, 6-4 in the Australian Open junior boys final.
Bernet met Federer for the first time at the U.S. Open last year and has practiced alongside Wawrinka, as they are represented by the same management team. Recently, Bernet decided to work with Severin Luthi, who has been Federer’s coach for many years, signaling the end of his collaboration with his previous coach, Kai Stentenbach.
Upon receiving his trophy on the prestigious Rod Laver Arena, Bernet expressed gratitude towards his coach, stating, “I have to thank my coach, this is actually our last trip and I think it’s pretty much the happy ending we deserve. I wouldn’t be standing here without you as you gave me the belief I could win one of these big tournaments, so thank you very much.”
Throughout the tournament, Bernet showcased his skills by overcoming the top seed, Jan Kumstat, in the quarterfinals, and then defeating Finland’s Oskari Paldanius in the semifinals. Willwerth, who is also 17 years old, reached the final by overcoming fellow American Jagger Leach in a challenging three-set match.
In the junior girls’ final, Japan’s Wakana Sonobe dominated the match against American Kristina Penickova, winning 6-0, 6-1, which was a notable improvement from her second-place finish at the previous year’s U.S. Open. Sonobe had previously triumphed over local favorite and junior world No. 1, Emerson Jones, in the semifinals with a score of 6-3, 6-4 at Melbourne Park.
Fifteen-year-old Penickova, who had a successful run in singles, also captured the girls’ doubles title on Friday alongside her twin sister Annika, where they overcame Jones and Britain’s Hannah Klugman with a score of 6-4, 6-2.
In the boys’ doubles final, the duo of Max Exsted from the United States and Czech player Jan Kumstat secured a 7-6 (6), 6-3 win against the Serbian pair of Egor Pleshivtsev and Ognjen Milic. This victory marked Exsted’s second Grand Slam boys’ doubles title, following his previous win in Melbourne in 2024 alongside fellow American Cooper Woestendick.
