'It's surreal': Pohankova and Pareja set Wimbledon date with destiny

Either Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova or Julieta Pareja of the United States will be crowned 2025 Wimbledon girls’ champion after both negotiated potentially treacherous semi-final showdowns at the Junior Championships.

Having fallen at the semi-final stage at January’s Australian Open, Pohankova navigated that particular hurdle to surge into the maiden Junior Grand Slam final of her career after defeating Czechia’s Vendula Valdmannova 6-4 6-0.

Pareja followed suit by overcoming home favourite Mimi Xu 6-2 6-7(7) 6-4 – a showdown which included a 70-minute second set – to move to within touching distance of silverware at the season’s third Grand Slam.

Should she triumph, Pohankova would become the second Slovakian girl in as many years to lift silverware at Wimbledon after Renata Jamrichova, who claimed her second Junior Grand Slam title here 12 months ago.

The 16-year-old, who won her maiden professional title at W75 Bratislava on the ITF World Tennis Tour in October 2024, now has the potential to become the fifth Slovakian player – boy or girl – to triumph at a Junior Grand Slam.

“It is unbelievable to be a Junior Grand Slam finalist,” Pohankova, who continues to be cheered on by a large contingent of her family and friends, told itftennis.com. “I lost in the semi-finals at the Australian Open and now I have got to a final and it is unbelievable.

“Renata is pushing me on. She made it to the final here and won Junior Grand Slam titles and it would be so special if a Slovakian girl could win here for the second year running. A Slovakian girl winning a Junior Grand Slam title two years running would be amazing.

“But tomorrow is the final and we don’t know what will happen. All I do know is that I will try my best. At the moment, my emotions are all over the place, but I am so happy, and I am very excited about the final. I believe it will be a really good match.”

Pareja, meanwhile, will tomorrow bid to become the fifth American player to win a Grand Slam girls’ title since 2021 after Robin Montgomery, Liv Hovde, Katherine Hui and Clervie Ngounoue.

The 16-year-old will also be following the footstep of some illustrious names in American tennis with the likes of Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Tommy Paul and Andy Roddick all reaching – and winning, incidentally – Junior Grand Slam finals.

“In the match, you don’t focus on whether you will get to the final or not, but when you get that match point it is just unreal and the emotion is there,” Pareja, who was a member of the victorious USA team at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Junior Finals, told itftennis.com.

“I’m super happy and there is a feeling that all the hard work has paid off with the chance now to win a Junior Grand Slam. It’s surreal.

“There are a lot of people who make it after featuring in a Junior Grand Slam final, but there are a lot of people who don’t. Seeing Amanda Anisimova in the women’s singles final, having won a Junior Grand Slam, is great motivation.

“You see you own name in a final and then see hers and it motivates you to keep working as hard as possible to achieve something like she has achieved this week.”

Pohankova and Pareja practiced with each other this week and last at J300 Roehampton – the traditional warm-up event for the Junior Championships – so both will have had a good look at one another. Now is the time to put into practice any learnings from those sessions. 

A full list of results from the 2025 Junior Championships, Wimbledon can be accessed here