On Friday, January 30, 2026, India’s Jensi Kanabar became the U14 women’s singles champion in the final match of the Australia Open Asia-Pacific Elite 14 & Under Trophy. With the win, she made history as the first Indian female and second after Arnav Paparkar to win the U-14 title. The 14-year-old stunned Australia’s Musemma Cilek by sets of 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the finals match of the tournament. Kanabar had won 12 of the 15 matches played in the tournament.
After losing the opening set by 3-6, Kanabar suffered a downfall at the start of the second set, going down 0-2. But composure and resilience led her through to make a strong comeback in that set over Cilek by 6-4. The third set also went aggressive with Kanabar dominating over Cilek by 6-1 to claim the victory.
Kanabar’s campaign at the 2026 Australian Open Asia-Pacific was a brilliant one. She began with the round-robin stage and topped the Group A division of which she was part by winning all her matches in straight sets by 3-0. Her dominant run started against Nepal’s Shivali Gurung, whom she defeated by 6-4, 6-2, followed by a hard-earned victory over China’s Jinyu Zhou by sets of 7-5, 6-4. Kanabar’s third and final win of the group stage match came to an end with a comfortable victory against New Zealand’s Jocelyn Ke by sets of 6-0, 6-1.
Meanwhile, Kanabar continued with her promising performance in the knockout stage. In the semi-finals match scheduled against Japan’s Aoi Yoshida, the Indian youngster defeated the Japanese player by sets of 7-6(3), 6-2. After winning the opening set-in tiebreak, Kanabar closed the match with a win and secured her place in the finals. Her final performance was another highlight of the tournament in a hard-fought victory over Australia’s Cilek to create history.
Ahead of the tournament, Kanabar finished at world No. 293 in the ITF World Junior Rankings, and the win in the Australian Open U-14 category adds a major boost to his career growth. Last year, in the 2025 National Championship held in October, the young tennis prodigy won the U14 women’s singles title. Additionally, she represented India at the 2025 Wimbledon in the U-14 category, followed by her victory in the ITF Junior 30 held in Ahmedabad. The ITF Junior 30 was her debut in that category, and she went on to win the title.
