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There isn’t any place like dwelling.
Seventeen-year-old Stefania Bojica celebrated historic homecoming with triumphant tears of pleasure.
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The primary UAE-born lady to compete within the Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Championships, Bojica burst into the historical past books by defeating world No.63 Danka Kovinic, 6-3, 7-6(2) in her qualifying opener immediately. She is the primary homegrown participant to earn a win on the match.
Born in Dubai to Romanian mother and father, Bojica solely realized she acquired a qualifying wild card on Thursday night, but she didn’t look misplaced in opposition to a 28-year-old opponent who has reached 4 WTA singles finals.
Cheered on by a vocal crowd keen to courageous the midmorning solar on Court docket 3 on the Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Stadium, Bojica overcame an skilled 11 years her senior to e-book a spot in Saturday’s second spherical of qualifying.
“I used to be a bit of bit emotional,” stated Bojica, who burst into tears within the arms of her coach Andreu Gimeno instantly after exiting the court docket. “I nonetheless can’t course of in my thoughts that I obtained my first WTA win. I’m so completely happy.
“The group was serving to me lots to encourage me to maintain going. At the moment represents an open door – I can see now that I can compete at this degree. I nonetheless must work exhausting, maintain progressing, and getting higher, however this has been superb.”
Bojica, who first began taking part in on the age of 4 and trains with the CF Tennis Academy, made her WTA debut earlier this month in Abu Dhabi, the place she fell in straight units to American Claire Liu, then ranked World No.52.
In Dubai, maybe with that on her thoughts, she began a bit of nervously, dropping her first service sport earlier than powering again to race right into a 5-2 lead, taking part in confidently from the baseline, and saving six out of seven breakpoints.
Going through a 2-5 second-set deficit, Bojica confirmed her resilience with a comeback, closing the historic victory on a Kovinic double fault.
“I felt I had nothing to lose,” added Bojica, who will now face Katarina Zavatska on Saturday morning within the second spherical of qualifying. “I felt I had no strain as I used to be taking part in in opposition to somebody with a significantly better rating than me, so I got here on the court docket with the purpose of taking part in my finest tennis and fortunately that’s what I did.”
Coach Gimeno, a director on the CF Tennis Academy and first-born son of 1972 French Open winner Andres Gimeno, stated he was feeling combined feelings after watching the coming-of-age of a younger lady he has been working with since she was simply 5.
“To see her on the court docket performing as she did immediately makes me very proud,” stated an emotional Gimeno. “In the course of the sport I used to be attempting to maintain her calm when the match was not getting into her favor.
“Stefi stored the best pressure and recovered the momentum to take it to 5-5. At that second, I began to consider we had an opportunity as a result of she served very effectively. When it went to the tiebreak, she was extra relaxed, which was essential.”
The ladies’s occasion on the Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Championships was first held in 2001 and has grown right into a WTA 1000 occasion with a prize purse of $2.9 million.
Salah Tahlak, Joint COO and Match Director, previously a director of the UAE Tennis Federation, has repeatedly given wildcard alternatives to regionally educated gamers.
“Big congratulations are to be able to Stefania and her total teaching crew,” Tahlak stated “To see her make historical past immediately by turning into the primary feminine born and raised within the UAE to play within the Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Championships – and to win in opposition to an opponent ranked so extremely within the WTA Rankings – is a really particular second for everybody.
“It’s proof of the improbable work being performed right here within the UAE by way of growing the sport from a grassroots degree and making a pathway to knowledgeable sporting profession. We want her all the most effective for the remainder of the match.”
Tickets for the thirty first version of the Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Championships are on sale now at dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com, ranging from Dh55
Photograph credit score: Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Championships
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