This December, Australia’s best junior players are competing for national honours at the Australian Junior Championships in Launceston.
Colloquially known as the December Showdown, this tournament has helped some of Australia’s current players on their pathway to the elite level.
READ: National junior champions crowned in Launceston
In December 2009 and 2010, Australian Tennis Magazine previewed the event, highlighting a series of players who were destined to become the next crop of Australian stars.
Here are some of the players who were listed and how they have fared since.
2009
Abbie Myers, 15, New South Wales
ATM said: A clean ball striker, Myers creates good speed off her serve and forehand to win free points. A strong competitor who has risen to the challenge of getting fitter and working harder.
Myers had great success on the doubles court throughout the 2010s, winning 17 ITF doubles titles. She shared more triumphs with former doubles world No.52 Jessica Moore than any other player, claiming four Australian titles in 2014.
The Sydneysider achieved her highest doubles ranking of world No.182 in July 2015, the eighth-best Australian female at that time.
Myers competed in her last tournament at an ITF W25 event in Nottingham in May 2022, where she made the second round of singles qualifying.
Maverick Banes, 17, Queensland
ATM said: A great competitor with a real warrior-like mentality, Maverick can play all day long. He’s one of the fittest young guys going around. Watch for the forehand.
Banes won 20 titles across singles and doubles during his 15-year senior career. The Queenslander broke into the ATP singles top 250 in August 2018, following his Challenger triumph in Gwangju, South Korea.
His first and only Challenger crown included victory over 2024 Montreal Masters champion Alexei Popyrin in the quarterfinals at Gwangju, China in August 2018 before he stepped away from the game in March 2020.
Jason Kubler, 16, Queensland
ATM said: A great competitor and all-court threat, Kubler can beat opponents with any game style on any surface. Spent the last year building strength and working hard on his game, and may prove to be Australia’s best-kept secret this summer.
Once touted as “a right-handed Rafael Nadal” after joining the Spaniard as the only player to remain undefeated at the World Youth Cup and Junior Davis Cup, Kubler has achieved several notable milestones, despite an injury-impacted pro career.
Most notably, Kubler teamed with Rinky Hijikata to win the AO 2023 men’s doubles title, which elevated him to a career-high doubles ranking of world No.27.
READ: Kubler and Hijikata crowned Australian Open 2023 doubles champions
He was also an integral part of the Culture Amp Australian Davis Cup team’s trip to the final in 2022.
James Duckworth, 17, New South Wales
ATM said: A back injury meant this steady all-court player couldn’t improve on an outstanding 2008 and missed most 2009 events, but now the recovered Duckworth continues to develop his game, which is built around a destructive forehand and a world-class backhand.
The 33-year-old is one of Australia’s most consistent performers on the ATP Tour. Duckworth has won 24 titles across his 16-year professional career and made 38 Grand Slam main-draw appearances.
He will make his 39th major appearance at AO2026 after winning the Australian Pro Tour AO wildcard last month. Duckworth won an ATP Challenger title in Sydney, while also reaching the quarterfinals in Brisbane and Playford.
Ben Mitchell, 17, Queensland
ATM said: Ben is a fantastic athlete, who is an all-round, all-court player. His return of serve is particularly strong. Interesting fact is that his brother, Luke, plays Romeo in Home and Away.
The 2010 Wimbledon boys’ singles finalist swiftly transitioned from junior level to the ATP Tour, winning four ITF titles in his first full year as a senior in 2011.
Mitchell made his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open the following year, losing to John Isner in straight sets. His AO 2023 campaign was more promising however, producing a valiant display against Duckworth in the first round.
After dropping the opening two sets, Mitchell nearly pulled off an almighty comeback, falling short 8-6 in the deciding set.
Mitchell rounded out his career in October 2018, having won three Challenger titles across both formats and achieving a career-best ranking of world No.204 in March 2015.
Luke Saville, 15, South Australia
ATM said: Possessing a near unmatchable determination to improve, Saville’s magical double-handed backhand and heavy forehand cast a spell that will mesmerise many opponents.
A reliable doubles player, Saville hung up the racquet following Australian Open 2025 after 14 years on the professional circuit.
MORE: Luke Saville bids farewell
The 31-year-old reached his highest doubles ranking of world No.23 in November 2021 and, alongside Max Purcell, was a men’s doubles finalist at AO 2020.
Thirteen years after he was a member of Australia’s winning Junior Davis Cup team in 2009, Saville made his senior Davis Cup debut against Hungary in 2022.
The 113th player to represent the Australian Davis Cup team, Saville played one tie in a season where Australia reached the final two for the first time since 2003.
2010
Ash Barty, 14, Queensland
ATM said: Victories in three Grade 4 international junior events were among highlights of a stellar 12 months for Barty, who also claimed her first WTA ranking points in Mount Gambier.
Despite swapping her tennis racquet for a cricket bat during the 2015/16 Women’s Big Bash season, Barty is one of Australia’s most successful tennis stars in the modern era.
The Queenslander was the singles world No.1 for 121 weeks, the longest stint of any Australian in history. However, it is her accolades at Grand Slam level that stand out the most.
Barty won three major singles crowns throughout her career, including the Australian Open 2022 title during her swansong. She became the first female local to win at Melbourne Park since Chris O’Neil in 1978.
Thanasi Kokkinakis, 14, South Australia
ATM said: Displayed his talent on the tough Tennis Europe junior circuit by winning titles in France and the Netherlands. Thanasi played a major role in helping Australia finish seventh in the World 14/u Teams event in Czechia.
Although injury has hindered Kokkinakis throughout his 13-year professional career, he has still managed to accomplish plenty.
In his 25 Grand Slam appearances, Kokkinakis has recorded five top-30 singles victories. However, his biggest achievement at Slam level came in 2022, winning the Australian Open men’s doubles title with childhood friend Nick Kyrgios.
Kokkinakis has also represented his country with pride, becoming a mainstay in the Australian Davis Cup team. In his most recent appearance, the 29-year-old saved four match points against Ben Shelton to prevail 6-1 4-6 7-6(14) in a match that featured the longest tiebreak in Davis Cup Finals history.