Sticking up his hand as a real prospect at the highest level, Connor Doig made history by winning the boys doubles title at the Australian Open in Melbourne last week.
Here’s all you need to know about the 18-year-old junior tennis player from Johannesburg.
Rising star
Doig has done well to climb the ranks since he first picked up a tennis racket at the age of three.
Since then he has developed into one of South Africa’s most promising young players.
Last year he competed in the qualifying tournament at the French Open in Paris, and he went on to turn out in the main draw at the prestigious Wimbledon tournament in London.
At Wimbledon he was eliminated in the opening round of the boys singles competition, but he reached the doubles quarter-finals with Indian partner Kriish Tyagi.
He also made his international senior debut last year when he represented South Africa in the Davis Cup World Group II tie against Morocco in Pretoria.
Big step forward
At the Australian Open last week, Doig made a significant breakthrough by securing his first Grand Slam title and cementing his place as a potential global star.
One of four South Africans who competed in the main draw at Melbourne Park, he turned out in the boys singles competition, but he was eliminated in the first round.
He shone in the doubles competition, however, combining well with Bulgarian partner Dimitar Kisimov.
In the junior doubles final, Doig and Kisimov defeated Australian duo Ymerali Ibraimi and Cooper Kose, earning a straight sets 6-3 6-4 win.
Doig became the first South African to win a junior title at the Australian Open.
Surprise victory
Doig said their success at the Australian Open was an important learning experience for both him and his Bulgarian partner.
“We never expected to be in the final first of all, but we took it one match at a time and we knew anything could happen right from the first match,” Doig told the Sascoc website.
“We played it point by point, and anything can happen in tennis, so we just kept doing what we could.
“The final had more pressure, but we just tried to keep it simple. We kept our winning strategy of focusing on each point by point.”
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