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Australian tennis star Daria Saville has expressed her pride and admiration for her compatriot Ajla Tomljanovic, who made a successful return to the Grand Slam stage at the 2023 US Open.
Tomljanovic, who had been sidelined for months after undergoing knee surgery, defeated Hungary’s Panna Udvardy in a three-set thriller on Monday, August 28.
Saville, who is also on the comeback trail after a long injury layoff, took to Twitter (now X) on Tuesday, to applaud Tomljanovic for her resilience and determination.
"things we want to see! proud of this girl to not just get healthy again to be able to compete but then also win! yay!!!" Saville wrote.
Tomljanovic showed no signs of rust as she battled past Udvardy in a match that lasted two hours and 17 minutes. The Australian lost the first set 3-6 but bounced back to take the next two sets 6-2 and 6-4.
Saville will play her second-round match against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek after beating American teenager Clervie Ngounoue 6-0, 6-2 in the first round. Saville also made the second round at Flushing Meadows in 2017 and 2018.
Both Saville and Tomljanovic are part of a strong Australian contingent at the US Open, which also includes Alex de Minaur, Max Purcell, Chris O’Connell, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Alexei Popyrin and Aleksandar Vukic in the men’s draw.
Ajla Tomljanovic faces tough test against Elena Rybakina in US Open 2023 2R
Ajla Tomljanovic will be up against a formidable opponent in the second round of the US Open, as she takes on fourth seed Elena Rybakina on Wednesday, August 30.
Rybakina breezed past her first-round opponent Marta Kostyuk, 6-2, 6-1, in just under an hour. The Kazakh has a career-high singles ranking of World No. 3 and is aiming to become the first player from Kazakhstan to win the US Open.
This will be the first meeting between Tomljanovic and Rybakina, who have contrasting styles of play. Tomljanovic is a baseliner who relies on her powerful forehand and solid serve.
Rybakina is also a baseliner, but she has a more aggressive and versatile game. The Kazakh has an excellent serve that can set up easy points. She can also generate tremendous power off both her forehand and backhand.
Elena Rybakina will be the clear favorite to win the match, but she should not underestimate Ajla Tomljanovic, who has proven that she can go toe-to-toe with the top players.
