Storm Hunter’s eyes filled with tears not once, but twice, as she discussed making it to the third round of the Australian Open singles draw for the first time on Wednesday.
The Australian, aged 29, had recently defeated German player Laura Siegemund in an intense match lasting 141 minutes on John Cain Arena, with a final score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Hunter battled and overcame nerves, double faults, and overaggressive forehands, all while carrying the weight of over ten years of playing at the top level. So when Jelena Dokic, a former player and on-court interviewer, asked her to look back on her journey to that moment, it was expected that Hunter would become emotional.
She expressed her gratitude, saying that she never would have thought she would be in this position and competing in the third round. It’s like a dream come true.
Just moments ago, Hunter had seemed far from achieving his dream as he battled against the fierce German opponent. Siegemund currently holds a career-high ranking of 27 and defeated world number 14 Liudmila Samsonova in a pre-tournament match in Adelaide. Hunter praised Siegemund as a formidable competitor and was aware that he would have to play his best game as she would not give him any easy points.
In the third round, Hunter managed to regain the advantage that was lost just moments ago and successfully broke serve to take a 3-1 lead. However, as he approached a personal record in points for his home state of Queensland, which is based in Melbourne and has strong connections to Perth, the challenges seemed to increase.
The Australian faced a strong opponent in the German, who holds a degree in psychology and has consistently ranked in the top 100 for the past ten years. Similar to Hunter, she is skilled in doubles and is currently ranked fifth in the world, four spots behind the Australian who holds the top spot.
The gap between Hunter’s singles ranking of 180 and Siegemund’s ranking of 78 is significant. This can be attributed to Hunter’s focus on doubles in the previous year. As expected from their rankings, Siegemund dominated and even had a game point to tie the score at 4-4.
However, when she needed it most, Hunter changed her approach to an aggressive one. She hit two powerful forehands that caused her opponent to make mistakes, allowing her to take a 5-3 lead. She then went on to win the most important singles match of her career in the next game. “I was able to cross the finish line because of the support from the crowd,” Hunter shared on the court. “You all were incredible, you really helped me push through.”
Hunter had an unconventional route to winning. She initially lost her first three service games, but managed to break her opponent’s first four, resulting in her winning the first set 6-4. In the second set, the Australian was able to take a service game from Siegemund again, but as she neared victory, Hunter was thwarted by the German’s comeback.
Prior to the final set, the excitement inside Melbourne Park’s “People’s Court” reached its peak as 10,000 fans eagerly hoped for the Australian player to regain her energy. Despite some challenges, she ultimately succeeded and Hunter’s happiness was clearly evident as she celebrated her victory. After shaking hands with her opponent, she couldn’t contain her infectious smile as she skipped and twirled in acknowledgement of the cheering crowd.
Later on, Hunter was overcome with emotion as she thought about her loved ones and her coach, Nicole Pratt. She expressed, “I am going to cry now. My parents have always supported my dream since I was a child. And my husband, who has been by my side for 10 years, has witnessed everything – my injuries, my struggles with playing and my lack of ranking. And Pratty, she has been with me since I was 17. She was the one who first believed in me and has always had my back. To achieve this for her is truly incredible.”
Pratt’s smile lit up as she wiped away her own tears. She wasn’t the only one across Australia.
