Riverside's Arwen Koesmapahlawan has taken a giant leap towards her eventual goal of competing in Grand Slams by taking out the Lauriston junior tournament in Carnegie, Victoria.
Doubling as the Australian qualifying event for the IMG Academy's Discovery Open, the 15-year-old received $1000 USD off a trip to the academy in Florida.
Led by highly-respected tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, the academy has trained or hosted 16 Grand Slam champions including the likes of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg.
The Riverside High School student said the tournament win was great for her future.
"This tournament win is a huge step towards my final goal of playing in the Australian Open," she said.
"It has helped me further my overall tennis and mental strength as a player."
Describing the tournament as one of her "finest wins" due to winning four matches in the space of 24 hours, Koesmapahlawan breezed through the group stages of her 16-and-under singles with ease.
The final provided a more difficult encounter for the rising junior however, coming from behind to defeat Bianca Barbic 4-6 6-3 10-5 in just under two hours.
"After losing the first set, I took a walk to recollect my thoughts and refocus and I decided to play each point like it was my last.
"This meant I chased down every ball possible and played the best I could and it worked in my favour."
Koesmapahlawan will spend the rest of January in Victoria, playing tournaments in Pakenham, Mornington and Rye.