Trophy-hungry Bruno Kuzuhara was determined to savour the moment after winning his second Junior Grand Slam title in as many days with victory over Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik in the Australian Open boys’ final.

In a remarkable and spellbinding exhibition of junior tennis on Rod Laver Arena, which lasted an energy-sapping three hours and 43 minutes, Kuzuhara finally overpowered his plucky opponent 7-6(4) 6-7(6) 7-5.

The actual moment of victory was not in-keeping with the remainder of the contest as Mensik, who was seeded No. 4 here, double-faulted before collapsing to the ground with extreme cramp and blurred vision.

Such an ending, however, should not detract from Mensik’s contribution to this clash or the Australian Open Junior Championships as a whole, and a bright future surely beckons for this talented teenager.

His condition sadly prevented him from attending a post-match press conference, although his on-court prowess during the last week spoke volumes as his mix of flair and tenacity proved a lethal cocktail.

Kuzuhara’s heroics, however, ensured he became the first boy to win both the singles and doubles titles at the Australian Open since Jiri Vesely in 2011, following his triumph alongside Coleman Wong yesterday.

The 17-year-old also became the sixth American boy to win here and first since 2018, in the process joining a prestigious list of players to have won a Junior Grand Slam while representing the United States. The likes of Taylor Fritz, Coco Gauff, Sebastian Korda, Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul have all topped podiums in recent years.

“It’s a great honour,” Kuzuhara told itftennis.com. “Even now, it is still a surreal feeling and it hasn’t registered properly, but to add my name to a list including those guys is amazing.

“It was just fantastic to play on Rod Laver today, it was something else. When I was walking down the tunnel, all the emotions just overcame me for a bit. But as soon as I stepped in, warmed up, finished the five-minute warm-up, it was game on.

“In the first set, I was down an early break, as I have been in the past three matches. I just told myself not to get caught up in going down an early break and I just had to dig in mentally.”

Kuzuhara revealed on the eve of the tournament that he intended to re-watch his only previous showdown with Mensik – a second-round loss at the US Open Junior Tennis Championships in September – with his coach Brian Baker.

“I did end up watching it last night alongside my coach,” said Kuzuhara. “We discussed it and this morning reviewed the game-plan. Watching that match definitely helped me.”

Kuzuhara, who entered the tournament ranked No. 3 in the junior world rankings, had to ride the wave of expectation throughout proceedings after being installed as the top seed in the boys’ draw.

But just as Croatia’s Petra Marcinko did in the girls’ competition, Kuzuhara shrugged off any additional pressure to thrive under that particular spotlight, dropping just two sets all week.

“In every match I played I knew I was the favourite to win and I was putting expectations on myself to go out there and win,” said Kuzuhara. “At the end of the day, I don’t think putting too much pressure on yourself helps.

“After I lost the second set today, I came back from the toilet break, looked up, smiled and said, ‘It is just a privilege to be on Rod Laver Arena and playing the final’.”

After wowing on court, Kuzuhara then impressed on the mic as he spoke in three different languages during his victory speech, conversing with his growing legions of fans around the world. Kuzuhara was born in Brazil to parents with Japanese heritage before moving to the United States while still a baby.

“It’s amazing to have so many people from around the world – in Brazil, Japan and the United States – supporting me,” he added. “Everyone is different, but it is amazing to see how tennis can unite people from different countries.

“I have received a lot of congratulatory messages. A lot from family of course and they are all over the moon right now with my win. Everyone back home, all my friends and everyone who has supported me have all sent messages of support.”

A Junior Grand Slam title is a significant moment in the career of any aspiring player and often prompts questions about what the future may hold and a player’s direction of travel.

Kuzuhara is yet to contest a professional match, whether on the ITF World Tennis Tour or otherwise, although that is likely to change in the coming months as he looks for greater exposure to higher-level competition.

“I will definitely enjoy tonight but I am flying out of Melbourne tomorrow morning,” he said. “I will go back, take a few days off, but start getting ready because I am going to start playing more of a schedule of pro events.

“The game at pro events is definitely less forgiving and more physical. I will celebrate this victory but I’m not letting myself get carried away. I will keep on working.”

Kuzuhara’s success ensured there was an American singles champion at a third successive Junior Grand Slam after last year’s triumphs for Samir Banerjee and Robin Montgomery at Wimbledon and the US Open respectively.

“For sure, Samir and Robin were pretty good friends through tennis, and it is always amazing to see them succeed and share their happiness,” said Kuzuhara. “It also motivates you to go out there and be the next one.”

All eyes now turn to Roland Garros in June to see if that trend continues and who the next American cab of the rank may be.