Three of the young under-21 stars of world tennis made their own splash at the Australian Open, where they will debut from January 12 to 26 at Melbourne Park. They gave a warning of what they might do in the new era.
The under-21s who are directly in the draw for the first Grand Slam of the season are the leaders of this generation, Carlos Alcaraz (21 years old), the Danish Holger Rune (21), the French Arthur Fils (20) and Giovanni Mpetschi Perricard (21), as well as the American Alex Michelsen (20) and the Italian Luca Nardi (20). The youngest in the top-100 is the Czech Jakub Mensik (19) and Chinese Junchen Shang (19).
The American Nishesh Basavareddy19, is No. 133 in the ranking, but entered the Australian Open thanks to the invitation of the organization according to its exchange agreement with the US Open. It will debut in a big way, against the ten-time champion Novak Djokovic.
The under-21s have to earn their spot in the main draw in the qualifying phase Martin Landaluce, 19-year-old from Madrid, the same age as his colleague Thien is a student. It is very difficult to step up to be the youngest in the top-100, the Brazilian João Fonseca, 18 years old and number 113.
The prodigy from Rio de Janeiro, with top attributes, including a ball-smashing forehand, has twelve victories in a row. Recent NextGen ATP champion, he opened 2025 by winning the Canberra Challenger. He will make his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open, once he gets past his three qualifying matches. He closed his goal by defeating Argentina Thiago Agustín Tirante by 6-4 and 6-1. He swept the former.
It will also debut at the Grand Slam Martin Landalucewhich continues the good tone obtained in recent months. Canberra Challenger semi-finalist, beat Czech Dalibor Svrcina by 2-6, 6-1 and 7-5.
The pupil of Óscar Burrieza is number 143 in the world, and is awaiting the draw for the qualifying round to find out his place in the main draw.
The American will come Student Thien, 19 years old and number 120, finalist of the NextGen ATP Finals. He qualified by defeating the Slovakian in the third round of the ‘qualy’ Jozef Kovalik by 6-3 and 6-4.
It is the first time three teenagers have made it past a Grand Slam qualifier since the 2015 US Open.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
