Frodin is calmness personified as Grand Slam breakthrough continues
The final serve of the match from Thea Frodin was an ace smacked down the T of the court and it sealed a 6-3 6-0 triumph over Marila Makarova. Her latest win ensures her dream run at the 2026 Australian Open Junior Championships continues.
The semi-finals now beckon. Never before has Frodin gone so deep at a Junior Grand Slam, with her previous best performances being second-round finishes at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and US Open last year.
“I told myself to just go for it no matter what," said Frodin. "I sometimes feel that if I try and hold back a little, I end up missing out. That was my strategy."
Margaret Court Arena was the perfect setting for the match – 30 degrees with every part of the playing surface in full sunshine – and it proved a near flawless display by the Californian.
She will face Ekaterina Tupitsyna in Saturday’s semi and the excitement is mounting for a very capable player.
“I'm just trying to enjoy the moment as much as possible because this is my last year as a junior player, so I've been really just trying to take every single moment and enjoy it,” she added.
The plan for the rest of today is simple.
“I'm going to try and recover as much as possible and make sure I hydrate because it has been getting a little bit hot," said the junior world No. 15. "I’m just trying to prepare as much and to be ready for tomorrow."
As well as a pounding forehand and an equally powerful serve when needed, Frodin has a calmness about her. That helped today, especially as she revealed the match was much tougher than the scoreline suggests.
“I made sure to stay really mentally strong because she's a really tough player, so I had to fight hard for that one," explained Frodin. "I felt like I was in control for most of the points.”
Frodin’s exploits in Australia are not going unnoticed back home in Los Angeles.
“I have a lot of people that are texting me right now and a lot of good friends that have been watching my matches and keeping up with me," she added. "I love the support.”
Tupitsyna, meanwhile, had a rocky beginning against China’s Xinran Sun before prevailing 3-6 7-5 7-5. The other semi-final, meanwhile, will be between Rada Zolotareva, who dispatched China’s Yushan Shao 7-5, 6-3, and the highest-ranked player left in the draw, France’s Ksenia Efremova.
The stylish Efremova, who is ranked No. 7 in the ITF World Tennis Tour girls' rankings, followed Frodin onto Margaret Court Arena where she saw off Kanon Sawashiro of Japan, 6-3 7-5.
It was a dominant display from the 16-year-old who has dropped just one set in four matches in what has been an impressive display of tennis so far.
A full list of results from the 2026 Australian Open Junior Championships is available here.