Albury's Phoebe Godward-Smith to toss coin at Australian Open finals

The talented 12-year-old has been invited by Tennis Australia to flip the coin before the mixed doubles final between Australian duo Jaimee Fourlis and Jason Kubler and number five seeds Kristina Mladenovic and Ivan Dodig at Rod Laver Arena.

But there's another player she'll be cheering on in the men's semi-final later on.

"Tsitsispas is my favourite player," she said.

Godward-Smith was selected for the job after her sensational efforts on the tennis court this summer, claiming the under-12s title at two of the Border's biggest tennis events this month.

"After I won at the Margaret Court Cup and Victorian Junior Grasscourt Championships mum got a message from Tennis Australia saying that I could do the coin toss for the semi-finals," she said.

"It's pretty exciting."

It marked the first time the youngster had taken out the top prize at either of the events, having first started out contesting the doubles back in 2018.

She first picked up a tennis racquet when she was five-years-old to take on her older brother Mitch.

It wasn't long before she started training regularly, now under the guidance of border coaches Jade Culph and Phil Shanahan.

The Albury St Patrick's Primary School year 6 student now has her sights set on even bigger goals for the remainder of the year.

"I'd like to make the Mackillop and Bruce Cup teams," she said.

While she spends plenty of time working on her forehands and backhands, her secret weapon is staying calm and composed.

"I try to," she said.

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Godward-Smith is looking forward to the opportunity to try her luck at more tournaments in the coming months.

"My favourite thing about tennis is getting to travel a lot and play tournaments," she said.

"I like to challenge myself."

She admits the Covid pandemic and restrictions over the last two years have made it hard to compete in the sport she loves.

"Especially last year when it was really bad, I couldn't train or do much," she said.

Godward-Smith will be attending the match with her mum, Belinda, with the pair set to watch the clash play out to determine the winner of the mixed doubles event.

The men's semi-finals matches will also be played tonight, with Stefanos Tsitsipas taking on Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal facing Matteo Berrettini.

Godward-Smith defeated fellow Albury star and friend Lara Meagher in the final of the Victorian Junior Grasscourt Championships event, with the pair teaming up to take out the under-12 doubles at the Margaret Court Cup.

History was made at the event this year with 14-year-old Bridget Mihulka becoming the youngest player to win the open women's singles in the cup's 21-year history.

Wodonga's Labour Day tournament and Albury's Easter event are two of the remaining events on the calendar, with both seeing players flock to the region.

Godward-Smith will be getting her last bit of practice in on the trip down before flipping the coin.

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