Israeli athlete Shachar Pe'er - from Maccabim, Modiin - has taken the junior girls' singles title in the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis championship. She defeated Czech tennis player Nicole Vaidisova on Sunday to cap a winning streak that included six wins and only one lost set. Pe'er also competed in the doubles competition with her partner Jarmila Gajdosova of Slovakia, reaching the semifinals.



Prior to her Sunday win, 16-year-old Pe'er was ranked no. 26 among junior girls according to the International Tennis Federation. That ranking will now be upgraded, and she is expected to find herself in the world's top ten.