Match points, tie points, break points, equal points, mixed with the excitement and frustration of the two players... First round, then another round.
This is the 10th inning of the third set of the 2021 Australian Open women's singles semifinals, and every ball is related to the direction of the whole game. Was it Jennifer Brady, the 22nd seed who broke first, to seal the victory 6-4, or the 25th seed Carolina Mukhova, who was tied 5-5?
In the end, the American girl won the fifth match point and reached the women's singles final of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. Meanwhile, from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), she also became the first former college player to reach a Grand Slam final since Kathy Jordan (Stanford University) at the 1983 Australian Open.
"I can't feel my legs anymore!" My legs were shaking and my heart was almost about to jump out. ”
Brady, 25, lay down on the ground celebrating the victory and then hugged Mukhova, who also showed a strong fighting spirit. Together, they contributed to this exciting contest, with every wave and every run touching the hearts of the audience in front of the stands and televisions.
Before such a scene appeared, their duel was actually underestimated.
Compared to naomi Osaka, a 3-time Grand Slam champion in the other half, and Serena Williams, the 23rd Grand Slam champion, the match between the 22nd and 25th seeds is obviously less attractive. Although the former were last year's US Open Final Four, and the latter also has a WTA Tour champion in hand, they are labeled as "dark horses" - and "dark horses" mean surprises on the one hand, and means that they are "unknown people" on the other hand.
But how can it be a nameless person? Jennifer and Carolina are both common and well-known names in women's tennis, especially for the Australian Open.
In 2001 and 2002, Jennifer Capriatti from New York won consecutive cups at Melbourne Park. As a "genius girl" with the same name as Singis, her talent is beyond doubt.
In 1990, at the age of 14, Capriatti turned professional shortly after his 14th birthday. At Roland Garros, she reached the final four of the French Open for her debut at a Grand Slam. She then won the gold medal in women's singles at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, but was left the tennis scene from 1993 to 1995 for stealing a $14 ring and drugs.
In 2001, she won her first Grand Slam title by defeating four-time champion Monica Cyles and defending champions Lindsay Davenport and Singis in the Australian Open women's singles competition. In the turn of the year, she once again defeated Singis in the final. "Born Again", this Jennifer story has been widely spread and remains in the history of Melbourne Park and women's tennis.
The name "Carolina" and its different language variants, including "Caroline", have also left a lot of memories in Melbourne.
In 2018, Caroline Wozniacki beat top seed Halep 2-1 at Melbourne Park to win her first Grand Slam title for the first time in her career. In 2019, Karolina Pliskova reached the final four of the tournament after eliminating Serena Serena 2-1, losing 1-2 to Naomi Osaka, who won the final championship.
On 18 February 2021, Jennifer Brady and Carolina Mukhova met at Melbourne Park.
After a 1-hour and 55-minute battle, the American girl won 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to challenge No. 3 seed Naomi Osaka in the final.
"Jennifer, who studied at UCLA, reached a Grand Slam final for the first time, and in 2020 she became the first former college player to reach the final four of the U.S. Open after Rory McNeil in 1987," forbes' website reads.
ESPN commentator Brad Gilbert also referred to her past student experience, believing that attending UCLA and playing for the varsity team allowed her to become a better player.
"Going to college is very attractive to her and at the same time a motivator. In those years, her backstrokes and serves have been greatly improved, and her body has become stronger and moves better. Gilbert, known as the "Gold Coach," said: "After moving into the profession, these basic advantages have made her more competitive, and I believe she can compete with any player on the tour." ”
From 2013 until he turned professional in 2015, Brady played for two years on UCLA's varsity team, the Bruins.
In 2013, she won the Pac-12 (12 Colleges and Universities League on the West Coast) singles championship as a first-year freshman, and helped the team win the 2014 NCAA (National College Sports Association) League I Women's Tennis Team Championship, and won the "All-American" singles honor.
At UCLA, her coach is Stella Sampras, the sister of 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras. She has witnessed all the growth of American girls in college, and hopes that more college players can show their abilities in professional competition like Brady.
"Every university can teach us differently, it's a unique experience for me, it nourishes me."
Brady himself said, "You know, the daily routine of a tennis player is training, from technique to physical fitness. But learning can pull me out of these routines and get exposed to more things. I want to step out of my comfort zone, leave my family and friends, and work with my teammates for a common goal. If I had to find the key factors in my career that made me improve, then college must be an important node. ”
With the same name as her predecessor Jennifer Capriatti, with what she learned in college and a different understanding of tennis, Jennifer Brady is about to challenge three-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the 2021 Australian Open women's singles final.
"I'm so excited to be where I am now, it's an incredible achievement." She said, "It's going to be tough, we played very hard in the US Open semi-finals last year. It was a good game, and so will the final here. I hope you can all come back here and enjoy our game. ”
Her expression is both decent and atmospheric, and while desiring for victory and championship, she does not forget to jump out of the identity of the player and promote the upcoming final from the perspective of the audience and the wider level.
This difference in vision made Gilbert can't help but continue to clap, "In the past few years, so many young girls have been constantly impacting the women's professional tennis scene, such as Bianca Andreescu. Next, we can look at Jennifer Brady's. ”