At the U.S. Open in New York, 17-year-old Californian tennis player Thea Frodin played her first WTA Tour match, losing to world No. 2 Elena Rybakina 6-3, 6-2. This was reported by infohub.kz.
Frodin fired 11 aces, nearly doubling the output of one of the best servers in women's tennis. After the match, Rybakina said: "She played really well today and she has great shots."
In the 2021 film "King Richard," Frodin was the body double for actress Demi Singleton, who played the younger Williams sister. She earned the audition after winning singles, doubles, and mixed doubles sectional titles at the 10-and-under level in California, and then spent six months working on set.
Frodin earned her spot at the U.S. Open by winning the USTA Billie Jean King Girls' 18s National Championships to secure a wild card. With fans in the Grandstand chanting her name, Frodin fired consecutive aces after facing match point trailing 5-1, then hit another to erase a third match point. Rybakina finally finished the match on her fourth try by hitting her sixth ace.
Elena Rybakina is guaranteed to take the No. 1 ranking from Aryna Sabalenka if she reaches the semifinals, or if the two-time defending champion doesn't win the tournament.