19 January 2025 | Tennis Australia

Promising young Australian, Tahlia Kokkinis, launched her AO 2025 girls’ singles campaign with an impressive win over 10^th seed, Rositsa Dencheva, winning 6-3 6-2.

The 16-year-old credited the crowd, particularly the younger members, with helping her to a first-round victory.

“I really enjoyed the experience and I loved the court. I’d say the crowd was the best thing of the match. Especially the little kids, they were saying, “c’mon Tahlia” when I needed that extra push, and it really lifted me. That win was really their win,” she said.

In her second appearance in the Australian Open girls event, Kokkinis is drawing on the experienced gained at Melbourne Park last year.

“Because it’s my second time here I’ve gotten used to the electronic line calls and I also played a couple of WTA quallies tournaments and the first time I played I got really nervous and then I learnt from that,” she said.

“The bigger matches you play, the easier it becomes.”

“That’s why AO is my favourite tournament in the world,” she beamed.

Kokkinis expects a tough match against an aggressive opponent when she faces Japan’s Kanon Sawashiro next round, but explained she is “doing it for Australia.”

Outlining her goals for 2025, the 16-year-old referenced her desire to contest all the junior Grand Slams.

“My goals are probably to get my junior ranking down so I can play the junior Slams,” she said. “And for the WTA, I think just try and make the top 600 so I can get into bigger qualies tournaments and get more opportunities.”

In his first match representing Australia, Croatian-born junior Duje Markovina defeated Japan’s, Hyu Kawanishi, 4-6 6-1 6-4.

Despite a slow start, Markovina was happy with his response in the second set.

“Definitely in the first set I wasn’t at my top level. Some stupid decisions at 4-4 which took the first set on his side,” he said. “But I’m very happy how I reacted in the second set. I managed to turn the match around in my advantage.”

While he has held an Australian passport since birth, Markovina only made the switch from his native Croatia at the start of 2025.

The 17-year-old is happy to call Australia home.

“Representing Australia on such a big stage this Australian Open is an amazing honour for me. It’s an amazing country,” he said.

Like Kokkinis, Markovina is focused on expanding his junior Grand Slam experience beyond the Australian Open.

“Definitely to do the best that’s possible in all the junior slams. That’s my main goal to do as much as possible here in my new home. And to make new moves on the ATP stage,” the 17-year-old said.

“Brisbane is now my home. From there it’s my base. With coaches together, we’ll decide what the next steps are.”

Markovina faces a tougher test in the next round against ninth seed, Timofei Derepasko.

In other junior matches, 15-year-old wildcard, Ymerali Ibraimi won his maiden AO junior match against Brazilian, Pedro Albuquerque Dietrich, 7-5 6-3.

The Victorian, who models his game on Nick Kyrgios, will lock horns with No.2 seed, Amir Omarkhanov, who battled through in two tight tiebreak sets.

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