Phenomenal would be one word to describe the past 12 months from a Russian tennis perspective and the nation’s juniors are in the mood for further success at the Australian Open Junior Championships.

Daniil Medvedev winning the US Open was a standout moment for Russia last year and three medals, including mixed doubles gold for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev, at Tokyo 2020 ensured further headlines were grabbed.

There was also Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup success, while Russia’s boys triumphed at the Junior Davis Cup Finals in Antalya and their girls at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals in Prostejov.

Factor in Oksana Selekhmeteva and Diana Shnaider being crowned Junior Grand Slam doubles champions at Roland Garros and Wimbledon respectively and the picture is abundantly clear: a high bar has been set.

Perhaps the only missing piece of the jigsaw is a Junior Grand Slam singles champion, with Anastasia Potapova the last Russian to have that accolade bestowed upon them at the Junior Championships, Wimbledon in 2016.

Step forward the class of 2022, with Yaroslav Demin, Ksenia Zaytseva and Ekaterina Khayrutdinova all surging into the third round of their respective singles draws today, while Shnaider and Yaroslava Bartashevich have the chance to do likewise tomorrow.

Demin is making his Junior Grand Slam debut and chalked up his second victory of the week after recovering from a set down to beat Belgium’s Gilles Arnaud Bailly 6-7(5) 6-0 6-3. He now faces Yannik Rahman of the United States for a place in the last eight.

The 16-year-old, instantly recognisable with his strikingly blonde hair, was an integral member of the Russia team that conquered all before them at October’s Junior Davis Cup Finals in Antalya, Turkey.

Following those finals, he was among those identified as ‘ones to watch’, and while it could be argued such judgement was well-placed, his starring role clearly had a positive impact upon the teenager.

“After we won Junior Davis Cup, we got so much attention and many privileges,” Demin told itftennis.com. “It is such an important title for Russia, and it contributed to a big year for Russian tennis – Russia’s year of tennis.

“Being a part of that was amazing and it gave me the hunger to win more titles. I’m into the third round here and that sounds so good, but it’s not enough. There is more to do, more work to do, and I must be ready for the next round.

“I have to say, I am loving being at this tournament. It is my first time at a Grand Slam, and I am loving it. You don’t feel like a junior player, you feel like a professional and it is good to be here.

“Just being in the locker room, I have met so many good players, like [Daniil] Medvedev, [Nick] Kyrgios, [Jannik] Sinner and [Fabio] Fognini. I said, ‘congratulations and good luck’ to Medvedev, and he wished me good luck too, which was very inspiring.”

Demin is a character and he playfully signed off his post-match interview by saying “see you in the finals” to the assembled media. Tongue in cheek perhaps, but his opponents might be advised that he has form for this sort of thing.

At the Junior Davis Cup Finals, a cheeky nod during an interview at the opening ceremony was followed by a prediction that Russia would win the event.

He turned out to be right, and not only did this suggest Demin had bundles of personality, but that he also meant business. The gauntlet has clearly been thrown down.

Zaytseva, meanwhile, who is seeded No. 3 in the girls’ draw, matched Demin and advanced to the third round following a 7-6(2) 6-2 victory over Romania’s Anca Alexia Todoni, with Liv Hovde of the United States her next opponent.

Khayrutdinova followed suit and sprung something of a surprise in the process. Ranked No. 42 in the junior world rankings, the 17-year-old dispatched No. 5 seed Clervie Ngounoue to set-up a third-round showdown with Germany’s Carolina Kuhl.

There was a degree of solace for Ngounoue, however, as she teamed up with Shnaider – the pair are the top seeds – to overpower France’s Nahia Berecoechea and Meshkatolzahra Safi of Iran in the opening round of the doubles.

Moscow-born Shnaider has been here before, with mere mention of a Junior Grand Slam prompting memories of that spellbinding doubles triumph alongside Kristina Dmitruk of Belarus at Wimbledon last season.

The challenge for Shnaider is to replicate that doubles success in the singles, with the No. 2 seed in action tomorrow where she will draw swords with Australian wild card Taylah Preston in the second round.

“Last year was the best feeling ever – I reached the semis in singles at Roland Garros and then won the doubles at Wimbledon,” Shnaider told itftennis.com.

“Having won in the doubles and knowing what it takes to win a Junior Grand Slam title, I now have a big desire to do it in singles also. If I could, it would be the best thing and the best day ever.

“I will work hard in this tournament to show my best tennis and we will see how we go and how we compete, and that applies to the doubles also.

“Clervie and I are playing together for the first time, and this was a great win for us considering it was the first time. I’m happy, but not as happy as I can be, but I will learn from my mistakes so I can play better next match.

“Together, we will continue to work on our connection and I’m sure we will get better and better.”

Elsewhere, in the boys’ draw there were victories for seeded players Mili Poljicak of Croatia, Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik, Switzerland’s Kilian Feldbausch and Ozan Colak of the United States, although Poland’s Olaf Pieczkowski bowed out.

There was also a win for Junior Grand Slam main draw debutant Constantinos Koshis of Cyprus, who defeated Australian wild card Jeremy Jin 6-4 6-2 and set up a third-round tussle with Feldbausch.

Arriving at the tournament on a four-match losing streak having not won since November, Koshis, who entered the court listening to Lose Yourself by Eminem, is now one victory away from the quarter-finals at a Junior Grand Slam.

“Third round at a Junior Grand Slam sounds great,” Koshis, who is ranked No. 57 in the boys’ standings, told itftennis.com.

“I am from a country which doesn’t have a lot of tennis, so I hope the kids that are watching get inspired because I got a lot of support after the first round. I hope they see that working hard, fighting and chasing your dreams comes to something.

“For the past few years, I was playing good but was struggling a little bit mentally, and this is a stage which many tennis players pass through.

“My expectations coming here, I had some back problems and I still have them, so I am working with the physio a lot. I just want to try my best and whatever happens, happens. But, when you’re here, you want to leave as the champion.”

In the girls’ draw, Greece’s Michaela Laki, home favourite Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz and Czech Republic duo Dominika Salkova and Tereza Valentova all progressed after navigating second-round ties.

Further information on the Australian Open Junior Championships, including a full set of results, is available here.