'Can we wait, please?': Nurlanuly follows Rybakina lead in Australia

Kazakhstan’s Zangar Nurlanuly is into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open Junior Championships after playing in front of the biggest crowd he ever has done during his third-round victory over Savva Rybkin. 

There were indeed hundreds of spectators on hand to watch the hard-serving junior world No. 12 – a career-high ranking for the 17-year-old – triumph 6-1 6-4. The man himself, however, was far from fulfilled.

“Honestly, today, I wasn't there with my normal game but still I'm happy that I won,” said Nurlanuly, who was adamant that any dip in form will soon be rectified. 

“I’ll probably go now to practice a little with my shots, so I can get better, to be more confident."

Self-assurance is not in short supply for Nurlanuly, the who made his Junior Grand Slam debut at Melbourne Park a year ago when he received the second round. During his post-match media chat, his fellow Kazakhstani, Elena Rybakina, had match point in her quarter-final clash with Iga Swiatek.

“Can we wait, please?” Nurlanuly asked. One serve later - an ace - and the 2022 Wimbledon singles champion was safely through. Apparently they have bumped into each other about five times already in the last week or and know each other well.

“The last time we practised was after the US Open," added Nurlanuly, who reached the last four of the boys' draw in New York. 

"I went to back to Kazakhstan and she was there also for a couple of days and we texted each other through her coach. We practised two or three times.

“When I was there preparing for my Asian tournaments in Japan and Korea, Rep., Elena helped me practice. I want to say thanks to her because we’ve known each other since I was about 12, and she's been really nice to me.

“You can see on-court that she behaves nicely, acting cool, but also off-court she's the person who's really positive and gives you advice. She has no secrets, she’s a very nice woman.”

Nurlanuly also spoke fondly of his pre-season training camp in Slovakia where he has been based for the last five years. His serve, which hit 205 kmph today, was an area of particular focus.

“We were working on it every day, serving many baskets of balls, maybe three or four big old baskets," he said. "Our main goal was the serve, and also the physical part as we were really getting ready for the Australian Open.”

This is Nurlanuly's second Australian Open following a progressive 2025 during which he played at every Grand Slam. Competing in Melbourne is something of a dream. 

“I remember as a kid, maybe a six year old, I was dreaming of playing here, to compete, to win matches," he said. "It feels great that I'm here playing with amazing players and I'm really proud of myself that I'm here.”

However he fares this week – Hong Kong’s Kai Thompson is next up in the last eight – his exploits will not go unnoticed back home. Friends, schoolmates and anyone who knows him are likely to be keeping tabs on his progress.

“I would like to say big thanks to them and also the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation for all the support they are giving me," he said. "I'm really, really proud that I'm a Kaza guy.”

A full list of results from the 2026 Australian Open Junior Championships is available here