Girls World Junior Championships 2026

The tournament got off to a fantastic start on Wednesday evening 26th August, with second seed Riya Bharwad (Cambridge) overcoming some early nerves to put in a brilliant performance against Rosie Kay (Hyde Bridport).  Riya soon got into her stride, using some super serving and low backhands to secure the win, despite Rosie battling hard to claim a game in the second set.  In the evening’s final match, top seed Katherine Carney (Holyport) showed her class with a virtually flawless performance against Eva Thomas (Royal Tennis Court) to comfortably move through.

Thursday morning saw Martha Raitt (Royal Tennis Court) in great form against Isabella Wylie (Queen's Club), taking early control with a clever mix of serves and clean volleys.  The match had a light-hearted moment when Isabella amazingly snapped her racket head clean off on a forehand!  Switching to a borrowed racket, Isabella put up a great fight, but Martha kept her composure to seal a well-earned spot in the semi-finals.

The last quarter-final match was an all-Wellington affair, Georgia Toosey’s powerful railroad serves proving tough for her younger opponent, Zoe Neville.  Zoe played some lovely tennis, with a strong double-handed backhand, and fought back to 3-3 in the second set.  However, Georgia held her nerve brilliantly to take her place in the last four.

On Saturday, Katherine Carney had to work hard in her semi-final against Georgia Toosey, who made a strong start and grabbed an early lead.  Following a brief pause to adjust the net height after a ball hit the net post, Katherine found her groove, returning superbly and winning five games in a row to secure her place in the final.

The second semi-final was a real thriller between Riya Bharwad and Martha Raitt.  Riya edged a tight first set after surviving multiple set points, but Martha fought back skilfully in the second to level things up at 3-3.  Adding a bit of extra pace to her serves when it mattered most, Riya won the final three games to seal her spot in the main event.

The final brought together the top two seeds, defending champion Katherine Carney and challenger Riya Bharwad, for a wonderful display of tennis.  After a thrilling, seven-deuce opening game, Katherine found the grille to pull ahead.  Settling into a dominant rhythm, she placed her shots beautifully and made the most of every opportunity.  Riya kept battling with deep returns, tight serves and steady pressure, but Katherine was simply unstoppable, flying through the second set to ultimately secure a clean 6–0, 6–0 victory and retaining her title.