The Emergence of Victoria Duval

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Victoria Duval has been the subject of an understandably huge influx of attention in the world of women's tennis. The young woman entered the U.S. Open ranked 298^th and was a virtual nobody – she was not expected to win, and had been picked to be eliminated early. Duval, however, proved that she is a future face of women’s tennis during a two and a half hour match against Samantha Stosur.

The tennis world already knows the outcome of the match, as Duval rocked the stadium by upsetting the 11^th ranked Stosur 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.  Duval became an instant celebrity for that weekend, receiving press from across the country, and a strove of tennis reporters attempting to track her down and dissect the match. Her win was shocking and impressive, as Duval entered the Open at only 17 years old, and been written off by the tennis world.

While some tennis experts see a young woman with a wealth of inexperience and the need to learn how to deal with the tennis world, part of Duval’s charm is her attitude and that she has been untainted by celebrity status until this point. Her mantra is one of positivity, playing for a love of the sport, and wanting to compete due a desire to play, not a desire for wealth or fame. While she went on to lose against the 2^nd ranked Daniela Hatuchhova, it seems unlikely that her new fame will affect her much. While the Open may have been her second Grand Slam tournament, it was the first that she realized she could win, and expected to do so. Furthermore, her loss will teach her the need to adapt to the pressure of Grand Slam tournaments, one that is foreign to her.

Victoria Duval has permanently entered the professional tennis world, and she will likely stay for a long time. While the young woman has plenty to learn, she has the time to and skill to improve. Fans of tennis should expect to see more of Duval in the future, and expect to see great things out of the young athlete. For more information on Victoria Duval and upcoming tennis tournaments, visit the website of Tom Phanco for a professional discussion.