Australian Open junior player hits tournament's fastest serve ... but loses point

If you're looking for who hit the fastest serve at this year's Australian Open, you won't find it from established superstars Coco Gauff, Hubert Hurkacz or Alexander Zverev. In fact, the teen who earned the distinction on Monday hasn't even yet turned pro.

Poland's Tomasz Berkieta, the 17-year-old No. 3 seed in the boys' singles event, turned heads on the radar gun in his second-round match against Brazil’s Enzo Kohlmann de Freitas. Serving at 30-15 in the sixth game of the opening set, Berkieta sent down a 233 kmh serve into the right-hander's body. (That translates to 144.8 mph for those of you back stateside.)

But it didn't do him much good; Enzo Kohlmann de Freitas blocked the return in play, and turned the tables on the point with a slick forehand passing shot on the run off of the Pole's second shot that Berkieta couldn't handle.

Though he lost the point, Berkieta avoided being upset at the hands of a game Brazilian making his junior Grand Slam debut. He won the match, 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-2, in 1 hour and 51 minutes.

Berkieta's bomb (say that three times fast) bettered that of the men's fastest serve for the tournament, which was struck by American Ben Shelton in the second round. The left-hander clocked one at 231 kmh (143.6 mph) in his four-set win over Aussie Chris O'Connell.

At 17, Berkieta has  already earned a Davis Cup call-up for his country, and hopes to better the semifinal showing he recorded in Melbourne 12 months ago.

With a serve like this, who might doubt him?