Six nations taste glory at 2025 AJO

Athletes from six different nations have taken out titles at the 2025 Australian Junior Open after the finals were decided this afternoon at Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre.

Pakistan players won four finals, including a pair of sisters who defended their 2024 crowns, while Australia was victorious in two division.  

UNDER 19
Oliver Dunbar’s AJO redemption quest came to fruition today with victory in the Boys U19 Final.

Eliminated in the 2024 semis as the top seed, the Kiwi’s chances of overcoming last year’s disappointment looked shaky as Thomas Scott took a 2-1 lead.

Dunbar then scored a dominant victory in the fourth game and took a big lead in the decider only for the defending champion to tie it up at 7-all.

The top seed was able to regain the ascendency however, reeling off the next four points en route to the David Palmer Cup.

Boys Final
[1] Oliver Dunbar (NZL) d [2] Thomas Scott (NSW) 3-2 (8-11,11-5, 8-11, 11-2, 11-7)

Having come to the AJO for the best part of a decade, Emmy Lamb’s final match at the tournament saw her take victory in the Girls Under 19 Final.

Lamb was forced to go the distance by local favourite Joanne Joseph, eventually taking the match in five.

While Joseph was out of the blocks quickly, Lamb was able to tie the match up and go ahead before the Victorian locked it up at 2-2.

Despite going down in the fourth game, a late rally enabled Lamb to take momentum into the fifth and she quickly opened up a 6-1 lead, a margin too big for Jospeh to reel in. 

Girls Final
[3/4] Emmy Lamb (NSW) d [2] Joanne Joseph (VIC) 3-2 (9-11, 11-5,11-9, 10-12, 11-5)

UNDER 17
Pakistan has swept the Under 17 Finals at the 2025 AJO with a pair of commanding performances.

Mehwish Ali was supreme in her title defence against Eden-Alma Poulava while Azan Ali Khan made amends for his early departure last year and forced Henry Kross to settle for runner-up for the second straight year.

It was the second title of the day for the Ali sisters, with Mahnoor winning the Under 13s while Sehrish was runner up in the Under 15s.

Boys Final
[2] Azan Ali Khan (PAK) d [3/4] Henry Kross (NSW) 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-9)

Girls Final
[1] Mehwish Ali (PAK) d [2] Eden-Alma Poulava (NSW) 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-7)

UNDER 15
Japan’s Emily Senior has gone three straight years without dropping a match at the AJO, taking a three-peat of titles following her victory over Pakistan’s Sehrish Ali.

She was forced to do it the hard way though, pushed to the fifth game in a match Senior described as the toughest of her career.

Shortly after, James Boswell claimed his first major title with a straight-games victory over Kaveen Kohombange.

Following their semi-final form, this match was expected to be close but Boswell took the upper hand early on and controlled the match from the outset, never trailing by more than two points in a game at any point in the encounter.

Boys Final
[2] James Boswell (QLD) d [3/4] Kaveen Kohombange (NSW) 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-6)

Girls Final
[1] Emily Senior (JPN) d [2] Sehrish Ali (PAK) 3-2 (15-13, 5-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-4)

UNDER 13
China’s Yuanxi Liu was the most dominant player at Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre over the opening three days and he continued that form in the final to claim victory over Benjamin Boardman (NSW).

The Girls Final saw Mahnoor Ali become the first defending champion to go back-to-back in 2025.

Ali scored Pakistan’s second victory of the day with a three-game victory over Queensland’s Riyo Kawabata.

Boys Final
[1] Yuanxi Liu (CHN) d [2] Benjamin Boardman (NSW) 3-0 (11-6, 11-4,11-2)

Girls Final
[1] Mahnoor Ali (PAK) d [3/4] Riyo Kawabata (QLD) 3-0 (11-2, 11-5, 11-6)

UNDER 11
Ahmad Ali Naz completed his undefeated run through the 2025 AJO but didn’t have it all his own way.

The second seed dropped the first game to Victoria’s Freddie Goldsmith but wrested back momentum to concede just 14 more points on the way to victory.

Malaysia’s Iszea Amani Ishak won the Girls U11 title which was played in a round robin format.

Ishak beat WA’s Miranda Clarke to maintain a perfect record this week, with Sydney’s Ruisha Chu finishing second on the standings after today’s final round of matches 

Boys Final
[2] Ahmad Ali Naz (PAK) d [3/4] Freddie Goldsmith (VIC) 3-1 (5-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-6)

Girls Standings (Win-Loss)
5-0 Iszea Amani Ishak (MAS)
4-1 Ruisha Chu (NSW)
3-2 Hannah Leung (QLD)
2-3 Aime Lacquiere (QLD)
1-4 Miranda Clarke (WA)
0-5 Kayla Goonewardena (VIC)

Click here for full draws and results.