One last opposing fault and emotion overwhelmed her. Ksenia Efremova quickly dried her tears of joy. After 1h43 of effort, the 16-year-old Frenchwoman had just released the pressure for the first time. At the Australian Open, the nugget of Russian origin qualified for the final of a junior Grand Slam draw for the first time. To do this, she only dropped two sets in the five matches played, including one against the Russian Rada Zolotareva in the semi-finals (6-0, 4-6, 6-4) on the night of Friday to Saturday.
Considered the greatest French hope in the medium term, Efremova remained in a quarter-final at the US Open junior, her best result in a Grand Slam. Last week, she failed to advance through a qualifying round for the main tournament. Naturalized French in 2023, the Moscow native has more than made up for it against players in her age category.
A first since 2018
Seeded number 3 in the tournament, she is in Melbourne to “win”. “It would be huge for me, my whole family, my team and France,” she told L’Équipe. Once this success was achieved, she did not wait to get off the court to tell her family. “I called my mother,” she said. It’s very important for me to call her, even if she’s sleeping, it doesn’t matter, we don’t care about that! She didn’t look, she’s too stressed. She is so happy! »
This nice course is not synonymous with assured success among the pros, but it places Efremova in a restricted circle. According to the “Jeu, Set et Maths” website, only six French women have already reached this level among juniors. Virginie Razzano won the final in 1999, unlike Clara Burel in 2018. In 2026, it is Efremova’s turn.
