From Australian Open singles heartbreak to doubles glory: Inside look at Florida’s Kristina Penickova who went viral with twin sister (Exclusive)

Kristina Penickova experienced both glory and gloom at the 2025 Australian Open. She, in collaboration with her twin sister Annika, managed to take home the juniors girls doubles championship home, however, couldn't cross the finish line in the singles title clash.

Penickova, seeded sixth, faced Wakana Sonobe, the No. 4 seed from Japan, in the title clash and couldn't get going at all. Sonobe handed her a heartbreaking 6-0, 6-1 loss a day after she lifted the juniors title with her Annika, beating the duo of Emerson Jones and Hannah Klugman 6-4, 6-2 in the final.

Notably, the Florida-based sisters made headlines when they took the court against another pair of twin sisters, Alena and Jana Kovackova, in the semifinals. The match-up made up for a great spectacle for the fans in the stands and worldwide as both sets of twins wore matching kits with their respective partners.

Sportskeeda caught up with the 15-year-old at Melbourne Park on the sidelines of the Australian Open to get an inside look at how the teenager goes about her professional and personal lives.

---

Kristina Penickova: "I'm patient and aggressive"

Penickova in action at the 2025 Australian Open (Image Source: Getty)

Sportskeeda: What do you like doing the most apart from playing tennis?

Kristina Penickova: Mm… I would say probably quality time with my friends, I think. Because I love spending time with friends, and just you know, being around the right people, having my little bubble. Hanging out, talking, or maybe like watching something, going to some theme park, water park, just doing some activity we all can participate in.

Sportskeeda: How would you describe yourself as a tennis player?

Kristina Penickova: I would say very kind of aggressive, I’m patient and aggressive at the same time, trying to show a lot of personality, be extroverted on the court. And, I guess, just kind of being loud, patient, and aggressive.

Sportskeeda: Who do you look up to?

Kristina Penickova: As of right now, probably my mom, honestly. She has done so much for me, she’s a great person.

Sportskeeda: As we know, the NCAA is really big in the US. Are you excited about playing college tennis yourself?

Kristina Penickova: Well, I think, I’m gonna try to go pro but I do watch some Orlando (Florida), when they kind of play there in the college. Pretty exciting. But I’d say my main goal is to try to go pro.

Sportskeeda: Who do you think is better, you or Annika?

Kristina Penickova: (Laughs) I mean, I think we’re both almost equal. We definitely have certain strengths and weaknesses. But I’d say like for the most part, we’re pretty even on that.

Sportskeeda: You mentioned strengths and weaknesses. Do you ever try to take advantage of some inside knowledge of your sister’s shortcomings while playing against her in singles?

Kristina Penickova: Oh for sure, probably yeah (laughs). We have really similar games. In that sense, it’s kind of like a little bit difficult because basically we’re playing the same person. But I’d say definitely, if we know a thing or two about the other one, we definitely use it.