Qualies joy for Budkov Kjaer as Grand Slam debut awaits at Aussie Open
Former junior world No. 1 Nicolai Budkov Kjaer will make his Grand Slam main draw debut against Reilly Opelka of the United States after battling through three rounds of Australian Open qualifying.
The 19-year-old finished 2024 as the year-end No. 1 boy in the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Rankings, was named an ITF World Champion as a result and also featured in the ITF’s Class of 2024.
The Norwegian has continued to showcase his talent, budling on his two ITF World Tennis Tour titles in 2024 by lifting silverware on four occasions at ATP Challenger Tour events last season. He is currently ranked No. 135 in the ATP Rankings.
Budkov Kjaer will now take his place on one of tennis’s biggest stages after defeating Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki, home favourite James McCabe and five-time Grand Slam doubles champion Pierre-Hugues Herbert in Australian Open qualifying.
View this post on Instagram
His 6-2 6-3 triumph over Herbert propels Budkov Kjaer to a Grand Slam main draw for the first time, with this only the second time he has competed in qualifying. Former world No. 17 Opelka now lies in wait.
Qualifying for the main draw of a Grand Slam is the latest step in Budkov Kjaer’s progression as he shows his capabilities at increasingly-impressive levels of tennis.
Prior to his exploits in the professional ranks, he was a successful junior and conquered all before him at the Junior Championships, Wimbledon in July 2024, while also picking up the doubles title at Roland Garros alongside Joel Schwaerzler.
Bidkov Kjaer was also a member of the ITF-operated Grand Slam Player Development Programme Touring Team in 2023, travelling with the team during their tour of Europe and winning two junior titles during that time.
In September 2023, he made his Davis Cup debut for Norway and in February 2024 won his first match for his nation at senior level.
Solid pedigree and huge potential – all eyes now turn to his first-round match at the Happy Slam.