Historic triumph for Veronika Podrez: how the young debutante defeated the former world number three in an hour and set a personal record
Ukrainian tennis has a new name on the world stage. Nineteen-year-old Veronika Podrez created the biggest sensation in the opening round of the WTA 250 tournament in Rouen, France. In her first career match at this level, the Ukrainian not only won but literally crushed the experienced star of world tennis, a Grand Slam title holder.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the tournament results.
Also read: Achieved the impossible: Ukrainian tennis player stunned the world with a meteoric rise in the WTA rankings
WTA 250, Rouen. Round of 16
Veronika Podrez (Ukraine) – Sloane Stephens (USA) – 6:2, 6:1
Victory in 71 minutes
Podrez’s opponent was the renowned American, 33-year-old Sloane Stephens – a former world number three and the 2017 US Open champion. It is worth noting that the star tennis player is currently experiencing a significant decline in her career: she is ranked only 552nd in the world and entered the tournament thanks to a wild card.
Despite the vast difference in experience, the Ukrainian, who made it to the main draw through qualifying, dominated the court throughout the match. The match lasted just over an hour (71 minutes) and ended with a crushing score of 6:2, 6:1.
For Veronika, this was her absolute debut in the main draw of the WTA adult tour. Until this moment, the 19-year-old tennis player had only competed in ITF tournaments and challengers.
Record rise in the rankings
The victory over Stephens marked Podrez’s third consecutive win in Rouen (including qualifying). Thanks to this success, the Ukrainian made a powerful leap in the world rankings. In real-time, Veronika rose to 190th place in the WTA rankings. This is her new personal record – Podrez had never been in the top 200 before.
What’s next
In the second round (quarterfinals), the Ukrainian will face the winner of the match between Elisabetta Cocciaretto (Italy, WTA 42) and Alina Charaeva (“neutral”, WTA 126).
In addition to Veronika, two more Ukrainians will compete in the tournament in Rouen – Marta Kostyuk and Oleksandra Oleynikova, who will begin their journey in the competition on April 14 and 15, respectively.
Earlier, we reported that all opponents of the Ukrainian team in the Billie Jean King Cup final have been determined.
