As Tereza Valentova and Lorenzo Carboni prepared for their Roland Garros Junior Championships quarter-finals against the respective boys' and girls' world No.1, they adopted a key strength of their idol Novak Djokovic.

The challenge confronting them in the girls and boys singles was significant, for their top-ranked rivals Renata Jamrichova and Rei Sakamoto were unbeaten in Junior Grand Slam matches this year after their successes in the Australian Open in January.

But Valentova, a 17-year-old from Czechia, and the 18-year-old Carboni from Italy have displayed considerable promise on the ITF World Tennis Tour this year and were up for the task ahead.

Carboni conceded considerable height to the powerful Japanese teenager but was able to win critical points late in the third set when successful 4-6 6-1 6-4 in 2hr 21min.

Earlier in the afternoon Valentova’s potential was evident from the opening game as she dismissed her good friend and doubles partner Jamrichova 6-3 6-2 in 1hr 20min.

Having witnessed the mental strength and excellent court coverage the talented teenagers displayed at Roland Garros, it is easy to understand why the idols of the duo are the same.

The two impressive youngsters admire 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic for the mental strength he displays and Jannik Sinner for the way he glides into the ball.

“Nole was my idol from when I was three years old and I love his mentality because he is so strong and you can see from his body, the power of his shots,” Carboni said.

“Sinner is the same, I think. I think his mentality is really good and his shot strength is incredible. He is so strong, his power. From every part of the court he can shoot.”

Valentova, who will play American Tyra Caterina Grant in a semi-final on Friday, was similarly complimentary about the three-time Roland Garros champion Djokovic and Sinner, who will face Carlos Alcaraz on Friday afternoon in the semi-finals in Paris.

“Just the way he plays, Novak I admire, and Sinner, he is great,” she said.

The No.12 seed in the girls singles, Valentova has lifted her WTA Tour ranking to 250 and enjoyed a significant senior success when winning an ITF W75 in Ricany, Czechia, in March, defeating Daria Snigur in the final.

A finalist in the US Open girls' singles last September, she said the experience of mixing high-tier junior events with tournaments on the professional scene was invaluable. 

But she acknowledged it was difficult to play against her friend Jamichrova, noting they had also met in the semi-finals of the girls singles in New York last year.

“We have known each other for a long time and we are playing doubles here, so it's pretty tough to play against your friend,” she said.

“But you need to just play tennis. I knew that it would be tough because we played against each other at the US Open semi-final and I beat her in three sets, but I played well to win.

“I am improving and just taking little steps forward. I played well but there will be another match in the semifinal and every match is pretty tough, so we will see what happens.”

Carboni, whose legs were dusted in red clay shortly after his triumph over Sakamoto in a highly-physical match, will play Poland’s Tomasz Berkieta in a semi-final on Friday.

A revelation at Roland Garros this week, Carboni has been playing on the ITF World Tennis Tour for much of the past year and said he has benefited from the experience of playing against men.

“It’s really different because in juniors you always have a chance to come back,” he said. “In seniors, it is more difficult, because if you miss something, it is tough afterwards to come back in the match and win.” 

In the second boys semi-final on Friday, American No.5 seed Kaylan Bigun will play No.2 seed Joel Schwaerzler. 

In the second girls' semi-final, No.3 seed Laura Samson from Czechia will face unseeded American Kristina Penickova.

A full list of results from the 2024 Roland Garros Junior Championships is available here.