Much-admired Klugman makes her presence felt at Australian Open

If the name Hannah Klugman sounds familiar, then it is probably because the Briton is a player who has been spoken about in progressive terms for some time.

The 2025 Australian Open Junior Championships are her eighth Junior Grand Slam, which is deeply impressive but the surprise, if not shock, comes with the revelation that she is still just 15 years old.

Klugman has made significant strides during her fledgling career and winning the Orange Bowl in December 2023 – the first British girl to do so – was a highlight of her junior career.

On paper, facing Junior Grand Slam main draw debutant Maia Ilinca Burcescu of Romania in round two may not have been too daunting, although it turned into a cracker of a match.

Klugman eventually prevailed 7-5 6-3 6-3 but that was just the top line. The match was an epic, two hours and 45 minutes long with sunshine heating every part of the court.

Klugman was dominant mostly, hitting way more aces, hitting harder and coming up with considerably more winners – 41 to 26. She even finished ahead on the unforced error count.

“It was the heat, it was so hot,” said Klugman as an explanation. “I am struggling a little bit with the heat. There’s no escape, the sun is beaming on you, it’s so open.”

The Melbourne temperatures are due to drop by about 10 degrees on Wednesday, a stat Klugman was delighted to hear.

Klugman will now face Belgium's Jeline Vandromme in the third round, a player she came up against in doubles just a few hours after her singles win. Klugman teamed up on Court No. 3 with newly-crowned ITF World Champion Emerson Jones to take on Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova and Vandromme.

Klugman and Jones soon dropped the first set and went 4-1 down in the second. An exit seemed imminent, but this duo are fighters are slowly the scoreline ebbed in their favour. The second set finished 6-4 to them and a tie-break ensued. 

They trailed and when they got it back to 8-8, Klugman raised a fist, not mechanically, but with real resolve and soon after match point was clinched.

It could not have been a better celebration had they won the title. Sitting down afterwards, Klugman slapped her thigh in a semi disbelieving ‘yesss’ manner. Thrilled, absolutely thrilled to reach the quarter-finals. 

“I think our celebration was big because obviously we were so shocked to get though, it’s only our second time playing with each other,” she said. “We are really close friends, we enjoy it, it’s fun on the court.

“Emerson stepped it up massively in the tie-break, she took the tie-break for sure, she took me through it.”

Being good pals helps of course.

“It’s nice to chat about the game,” she added. “It doesn’t have to be about tennis either, we chat about normal stuff.”

Even during the match?

“Yes,” she said.

It’s not just friends who help her relax, being an experienced performer now comes with its upsides.

“This is my second lap of the Tour, it’s quite nice, I know the place, where the courts are,” she explained. “It’s tough your first tournament when you don’t know where the courts are.

“I remember playing my first Slam at Wimbledon, so nervous, so nervous. I look at it now as another tournament.”

And the reason behind the doubles comeback?

“We said to each other let’s try and stay on court for as long as we can,” she said. “In doubles, the momentum can shift so quickly, and it did.”