MELBOURNE, Australia — Swiss player Henry Bernet gave himself a fairly impressive 18th birthday present Saturday and said he had taken inspiration from countrymen Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka after his 6-3, 6-4 win over American Benjamin Willwerth in the Australian Open junior boys final.
Bernet said he met Federer for the first time last year at the US Open and has practiced with Wawrinka as the pair share the same management team. Bernet recently announced he had recruited Severin Luthi, Federer’s longtime coach, ending his partnership with current coach Kai Stentenbach.
“I have to thank my coach. This is actually our last trip, and I think it’s pretty much the happy ending we deserve,” Bernet said as he received his trophy on Rod Laver Arena. “I wouldn’t be standing here without you as you gave me the belief I could win one of these big tournaments, so thank you very much.”
Bernet beat top-seeded Jan Kumstat in the quarterfinals and Finland’s Oskari Paldanius in the semifinals while 17-year-old Willwerth defeated fellow American Jagger Leach in three sets in the semifinals.
In the junior girls final, Japan’s Wakana Sonobe beat American Kristina Penickova 6-0, 6-1 to improve on her runner-up finish at last year’s US Open. Sonobe had defeated the home favorite — and junior world No. 1 Emerson Jones — 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals at Melbourne Park.
Penickova, 15, won the girls doubles title Friday with her twin sister Annika, beating Jones and Britain’s Hannah Klugman 6-4, 6-2.
In the boys doubles final, Max Exsted of the United States and Czech Jan Kumstat had a 7-6 (6), 6-3 victory over Egor Pleshivtsev and Ognjen Milic of Serbia. It was Exsted’s second Grand Slam boys’ doubles title after his win in Melbourne in 2024 with fellow American Cooper Woestendick.
