Either Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova or Julieta Pareja of the United States will be crowned the 2025 Wimbledon girls’ champion after both players won their semi-final matches at the Junior Championships.
Pohankova, who previously reached the semi-finals at January’s Australian Open, advanced to her first Junior Grand Slam final by defeating Czechia’s Vendula Valdmannova 6-4, 6-0. Pareja secured her spot in the final by overcoming home favorite Mimi Xu with scores of 6-2, 6-7(7), and 6-4 in a match that featured a lengthy second set.
If successful, Pohankova would become the second Slovakian girl in two years to win at Wimbledon following Renata Jamrichova’s victory last year. At just 16 years old, she has already claimed her first professional title at W75 Bratislava on the ITF World Tennis Tour in October 2024. “It is unbelievable to be a Junior Grand Slam finalist,” Pohankova expressed to itftennis.com. “I lost in the semi-finals at the Australian Open and now I have got to a final and it is unbelievable.”
Pareja aims to become the fifth American player since 2021 to claim a Grand Slam girls’ title, joining names like Robin Montgomery and Coco Gauff. “In the match, you don’t focus on whether you will get to the final or not,” Pareja said. “But when you get that match point it is just unreal and the emotion is there.”
Both players practiced together recently at J300 Roehampton, which serves as preparation for Wimbledon. The experience may provide insights into each other’s game as they face off for the championship.