Kiwi Junior Aishi Das Proves Giant Killer - Into AO Junior Girls' Second Round
Sunday, 25 January 2026
Kiwi Aishi Das is proving a giant killer at the Australian Open Junior Girls Tennis Championships overpowering her higher ranked opponent in today’s first round at Melbourne Park with superior shot making.
Das with a current International Tennis Federation (ITF) ranking of 106 beat the tournament seventh seed Anastasija Cvetkovic, currently ranked 92 places higher, 6-2 4-6 6-2 looking totally unfazed on the biggest stage of her tennis career to date, Melbourne Park.
“The court surface certainly suits my game and I did feel I had more of an advantage with my shots being the more powerful today,” Das says.
She describes playing at the Australian Open as an “amazing experience’, from both a playing perspective and also given that being closer to home, she is enjoying lots of support from family and friends. “It really is quite unbelievable,” Das says.
Her main draw win followed a strong showing in qualifying where she beat fellow New Zealander Lucia Gale in the first round before ousting the top seed Ada Kumru 6-3 6-2 of Turkey in the second round of qualifying.
Conditions were favourable for tennis in Melbourne today with temperatures hovering around 21 degrees Celsius, a welcome relief from Saturday’s high of 38 degrees when play was suspended due to extreme heat.
Das was all class from the outset, serving first and holding but pouncing in the fourth game of the set to break her Serbian opponent for a 3-1 lead. Totally calm, she continued with her impressive shot-making extending her lead to 4-1 and then 5-2. Cvetkovic then served the eighth game to stay in the set, but Das stayed on task and was up to the tussle against her dogged opponent, eventually out-muscling her and breaking her service on the second break point to take the set 6-2.
Das started the second set strongly, but was broken in the third game, with pair then trading serves to 4-2 when Cvekovic again broke the Das serve to lead 5-2. A focused Das responded in the best way possible by immediately breaking back and then holding serve, putting the pressure back on Cvetkovic to serve out the set. It wasn’t a given with Das’ pin point backhand continuing to prove a big weapon for 18-year-old. Cvetkovic survived the onslaught, taking the second set 6-4.
Das again enjoyed the advantage of serving first in the deciding third set, with the two trading serves until the sixth game with Das leading 3-2. A lucky net cord went in her favour securing her the break, which she extended further, saving two break points on her way to a 5-2 lead.
Trailing in the Cvetkovic serve game, Das produced another of her back-hand down-the-line winners to take the game to 40-40, eventually breaking to take the match 6-2 in the third.
The match was played in front of a parochial Kiwi crowd, with younger fans swamping her as she left the court for autographs and photos, all recognising they had witnessed a special performance from the athletic young Aucklander on court 14. Das, born in New Zealand to parents from Punjab and Kolkata, began playing tennis when she was seven-year-old and is currently New Zealand’s top-ranked junior. She is looking forward to her next round, her opponent still to be decided. “I’m just really happy with today,” she says
Playing at the same time as Das, her compatriot, Erin Routliffe and her Swedish partner Andre Goransson lost in straight sets 4-6 5-7 to the French team of Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard who secured a break of serve in each set. However, Routliffe’s hopes for another Grand Slam title are still alive as she and her partner are through to the third round of the women’s doubles where they will meet Ena Shibahara of Japan and veteran Vera Zvonareva on Monday.
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