Bernet joins Federer, Wawrinka on illustrious list with Melbourne triumph

Eighth seed Henry Bernet became the first Swiss player to win an Australian Open junior singles title on Saturday when he defeated American Benjamin Willwerth 6-3, 6-4 to claim the boys’ crown. The teen achieved the feat on his 18th birthday.

“It’s been probably three perfect weeks here. Today on my birthday I had the chance to play on the Rod Laver Arena, which is something very special,” Bernet said. “I will never forget that, even if I would have lost the match. But it's even better that I won the match. I'm just very happy.”

The Swiss became the sixth boy from his country to earn a major junior singles title, joining Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Heinz Gunthardt, Roman Valent and Dominic Stricker.

“It makes me very happy and proud, too,” Bernet said. “It's a great achievement for me. I'm really just trying to focus on my own journey, too. Yes, it just makes it very special. I hope that I can continue the year like this.”

Bernet met Federer last year at the US Open and “would love to talk to him again”. Fittingly, the Australian Open boys’ champion also has a one-handed backhand, like Federer and Wawrinka.

“I was just practising with my coach in the club. I was always struggling with my two-hander,” Bernet said. “He was like, more or less as a joke, ‘Let's try a one-hander’. It felt natural. It looked natural. That was the point where I decided to play the one-hander. Just developed well so far.”

At last year’s Swiss Indoors Basel, Bernet played doubles with countryman Jerome Kym. The Swiss players defeated Nicolas Jarry and Alejandro Tabilo. Bernet also won a qualifying round against Fabio Fognini.

“I think that helped me, too, to kind of already have a picture in my mind how it's going to work out,” Bernet said of previously playing on a big court. “I think I started pretty well. I got the two breaks. From there on, I could build up.”