She is one victory away from a dream Junior Grand Slam debut and Germany’s Nastasja Mariana Schunk will no doubt take immense confidence from a sensational victory over world No. 1 Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva into tomorrow’s Junior Championships final. 

In a battle of left-handers, Schunk was in stunning form as she downed top seed Jimenez Kasintseva, a Junior Grand Slam champion having triumphed at the 2020 Australian Open, 6-4 4-6 6-4.

The 17-year-old will now face Ane Mintegi Del Olmo in the final after the Spaniard produced a shock of her own by beating Linda Fruhvirtova of Czech Republic 6-3 7-5 in the day’s opening last-four battle.

Mirroring the boys’ draw and its final which will be an all-American contest between Samir Banerjee and Victor Lilov, Schunk and Mintegi Del Olmo are both unseeded for this tournament and have navigated a field of more fancied contenders.

“This victory gives me massive confidence,” Schunk, who is ranked No. 71 in the girls’ rankings, told itftennis.com. “Victoria is an amazing player. The match was really good and I loved playing it. As I say, it gives me great confidence for tomorrow.

“At the moment, being told that I am a Wimbledon finalist is unreal. It is my first Junior Grand Slam and I already performed so well. I am so happy and just want to go out tomorrow and play my best tennis and see what the outcome will be.

“I didn’t expect to be in the final directly, although I knew if I played well then I could beat good players. But I knew I would have to be consistently good and I think I have done a good job.”

Schunk insists she is “ready” for tomorrow’s clash and remains in peak condition physically despite a demanding clash against Jimenez Kasintseva which went the distance and finished after 8pm.

Her energy levels may also have been flagging due to her match once again going to a third set, which has been the case in four out of her five showdowns, the only exception being her first-round victory over Valencia Xu of the United States.

“I think sometimes in the second set I don’t play aggressive any more,” added Schunk. “Other times my opponent is just too good. In this match, she [Jimenez Kasintseva] played really well. But I’ll be trying to keep going in the second set next time.”

Sat in Jimenez Kasintseva’s box during her showdown on Court No. 1 was her friend Mintegi Del Olmo, who could afford to sit back and watch her potential rivals in the final safe in the knowledge that her work for the day was done.

Like Schunk, Mintegi Del Olmo’s presence in the competition’s latter stages might have been considered something of a surprise pre-tournament, although the 17-year-old did reach the quarter-finals at February’s Australian Open.

Making the final ensures that Spain have had back-to-back representatives in Junior Grand Slam finals here, with Carlos Gimeno Valero contesting the boys’ title-decider against Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki back in 2019.

She will know that the hand of history is resting firmly on her shoulder. Mintegi Del Olmo is the first Spanish girl to reach a Wimbledon final since Magui Serna in 1996, while her nation is yet to see one of their players top the girls’ podium at Wimbledon.

“The truth is that reaching the final gives me great pride,” she said. “To be in the final of Wimbledon is very special.

“I am a clay-court player but little by little I have been able to get more rhythm on the fast surfaces. On grass, it’s very difficult to adapt my game but this week I am playing far more aggressively than usual.

“I am remaining focused. The road is long and I know that I will have to work very hard tomorrow.”