Tennis
The daring Russian tennis player pissed off the favorite. And became the darling of Australia
The opponent did not like how Schneider was happy with the winning rallies.
At the Australian Open, despite all the vagaries of nature, matches of the main draw continue. Unfortunately, every day our fans have less and less reason to be happy. Many players from Russia have already completed their performances at the tournament.
But the young Russian woman managed to conquer the stands of the court in Melbourne with a brilliant game. The opponent could only complain to the judge.
unexpected success
Russian Diana Schneider cannot boast of a rich track record in adult tennis. Now she occupies the 106th position in the WTA rankings, and Diana’s total career prize money does not exceed $100,000, which is a very modest figure for tennis. However, she already has a victory at the WTA tournament in Montevideo and serious advances from experts.
Until recently, Diana did not plan to move to professional tennis, playing for the North Carolina team in the US student association. But the rapid progress made the girl change her priorities.
She started at the Australian Open at the beginning of last week. To enter the main draw, the athlete had to win three matches in qualifying. She did it brilliantly. In one of the games, Diana defeated promising American Robin Montgomery, who won the US Open among juniors in 2021. And in just three matches, Schneider did not lose a single set.
“It didn’t suit me”
In the main draw, no one expected great success from the young Russian, but she pleased with the victory over the Slovak Kristina Kuchova in the first round match.
In the next game, Schneider was waiting for a very serious test in the face of the Greek Maria Sakkari, who occupies the sixth position in the WTA rankings. Unexpectedly for many, Diana did not hesitate against her venerable opponent and took the first game, having realized the only break point.
Experienced Sakkari gradually adapted to Diana’s playing style. The Greek woman began to make fewer mistakes and serve more confidently. Schneider fought for every draw and greeted every point won with a joyful cry. In the WTA, this behavior is characteristic of almost half of the tennis players.
In the tenth game, the Greek woman had several chances to equalize the score, but Diana won back break points, accompanying each success with a loud cry. At some point, Sakkari’s nerves could not stand it, and she went to the judge on the tower. With a menacing look, she demanded from the judge to forbid the Russian woman to rejoice at her own successful actions.
“If she screams in my face again… One more time and I will talk to the main referee,” Maria said.
At the post-match press conference, the Greek woman explained her discontent in a very strange way.
– During a match, you can be very charged, but the way some players celebrate winning draws is inappropriate. It didn’t suit me. But, you know, she never did that again. It was very nice of her,” said Sakkari.
Unfortunately, the cool game and the enviable persistence of the Russian woman did not bring her a positive result. First, she gave the second batch, and then the third, completing her performances at the Australian Open. But Schneider’s dedication won the hearts of the fans in the stands of the court in Melbourne. Despite the loss, Diana went to the under-tribune room to a standing ovation.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.