At the start of the 2025 Australian Open, just one teenager sat in the Top 100. Following this year’s edition, three are in the Top 20 alone – Mirra Andreeva, Victoria Mboko, and Iva Jovic
The surge of the WTA’s teen titans truly began last year and has since spilled over into the early weeks of 2026.
Teenagers were a combined 7-1 in tour finals in 2025, headlined by Andreeva’s back-to-back WTA 1000 wins in Dubai and Indian Wells, then Mboko’s maiden WTA title at the National Bank Open in Montreal. So, what better way to have kicked off the fresh season than with a final between the two in Adelaide.
Andreeva won the battle between the tour’s highest-ranked teens, securing her fourth WTA title and first at the 500 level.
With the Australian Open next up, it almost felt crazy to say that the 18-year-old was already full of Grand Slam experience heading into the year’s first major. Andreeva was a semifinalist at Roland-Garros in 2024, aged just 17, and made the quarters at both Channel Slams last year.
The world No. 7 made more history this season after getting past round three for the third time in as many Australian Open appearances – the first player to do so following Venus Williams’ runs in 1998, 1999, and 2001 (she missed 2000 due to injury).
Read also: The 8 Best Moments from an Eventful Australian Open Fortnight
Though, this time out, Andreeva was just one of five teens in the Aussie Open’s round of 32, the most at a Slam since the 2009 US Open.
Czech tennis continued its upward trend as Nikola Bartunkova and Tereza Valentova both made breakthroughs in Melbourne. Bartunkova came through qualifying to make her Grand Slam main-draw debut, stunning tenth-seed Belinda Bencic in the second round, while Valentova, a finalist in Osaka last year, earned her best result at a major in just her third Slam, becoming the fifth teenager in the Top 50.
Mboko and Jovic rounded off the teens in round three, earning milestone wins to extend their time in Melbourne along with Andreeva.
The Canadian No. 1 powered herself to a three-set victory over world No. 14 Clara Tauson, reaching her maiden Grand Slam fourth round. Jovic, the youngest player in round three, accomplished the same feat but added a first Top 10 win to her growing resume, taking down world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini in straight sets.
Read also: This Week in Tennis - Alcaraz Completes Career Grand Slam
These impressive showings from the teenagers in Melbourne seemed to have come to no surprise for Jovic, though. “Honestly, I think that the age group that I’m a part of is just a very strong group of juniors,” the American told The Athletic after her win against Paolini.
“Even the matches we played at junior Grand Slams were a very high level and I don’t think far from the professional level. I think we’ve had to improve, yes, but I think the level was very high and it was just a very talented group of people. So, I kind of knew that we were all going to transition well.”
Soon after, Mboko and Jovic’s talents would be put to their grandest test – against the WTA’s top player, Aryna Sabalenka.
The Canadian met the four-time major winner first in the fourth round but fell short after a resilient second set, erasing a 1-4 deficit to eventually force a tiebreak, saving four match points in the process.
Jovic’s dominant 6-1, 6-0 win over Yulia Putintseva in round four then gave her the chance to take on Sabalenka in the quarter-finals, where the world No. 1 proved to be too much again.
However, the teens didn’t leave Melbourne without continuing to make their mark on the tour. Mboko’s rise carries on, sitting outside the Top 200 at the start of February last year, to now attaining a new career-high of No. 13. As for Jovic, her career-best finish at a big event was enough to break into the Top 20.
Read also: Dancevic Excited for “New Era” of Team Canada at Davis Cup in Vancouver
With 2026 still fresh, will the new year bring another teenager into the spotlight? Lilli Tagger may be on the verge.
The 17-year-old had an extraordinary end to 2025, winning back-to-back ITF titles and reaching a WTA 250 final in the last three months of the season. The Austrian carried that over into this year with the biggest title of her career at the ITF W100 Fujairah in February, jumping 27 spots to her highest-ever rank at No. 128.
If Tagger becomes the next teen to enter the Top 100, she’ll be the youngest of the group.
The WTA's best return to Toronto next summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers Aug 1 to 13 at Sobeys Stadium. Get your tickets today!
Feature Photo: Sarah-Jade Champagne
Featured in this news
