SportsOrbit

Being from the country of the Brothers Grimm and the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Tatjana Maria is well-versed in fairy tales. The incredible magic of her final seven days at Queen’s Club, however, is beyond her comprehension. The 37-year-old had lost nine straight games and appeared to be in risk of falling out of the top 100 in the world when she moved to west London. She has now unimaginably advanced to a WTA 500 final after defeating three players in the top 15 in the world and won six straight matches, including two in qualification. I honestly can’t believe that,” Maria remarked. “It’s a dream realized.” The German’s most recent victory was possibly her finest to date, defeating Madison Keys, the current Australian Open champion and the player many believe will advance to the Wimbledon final, 6-3, 7-6 (3) in a semi-final that was strong in skill and shot-making. Even though Cecilia, who falls asleep when she hears tennis balls bounce, had fallen asleep in her stroller, Maria found it even more memorable because her daughters, Charlotte, 11, and Cecilia, 4, were present. Together, we travel constantly,” she remarked. They have been with us at every tournament since the start. Being with them is so unique, and sharing these moments with them is truly remarkable. The foundation of Maria’s game has always been chaos. She enjoys tinkering and cutting, looking for unconventional angles and patterns, and entangling her opponents in her matrix. These days, she rarely uses a one-handed backhand, and her forehand slices make it even more difficult for opponents to get into rhythm, particularly on grass. She had never defeated Keys in three tries, though, and was viewed as a 9-2 outsider going into the match, despite making it to the Wimbledon semifinals in 2022. However, she failed to read the script once more. If Maria had been anxious earlier, it was not evident. When Keys hit a backhand long, the World No. 86 broke to take a 3-1 lead, but she held her opening serve games comfortably despite the whirling wind. For the remainder of the opening set, she only lost four points on serve after that. Not because Keys was playing poorly. However, she had no defense against her opponent’s cunning and deceit, and occasionally her power was left unchecked. One such instance occurred early in the second set when Maria used a drop shot to entice Keys in before a flawless lob volley soared over her head. Maria kept up the pressure, and Keys had to save a break point with an ace at 118 mph at 2-2. In the following game, the American had a chance of her own that could have changed the momentum, but she missed it, and the players were soon in a second-set tie-break. Keys sent a simple volley into the net early on, but squandered the opportunity for a mini-break. However, Maria was unstoppable after that. Before a mishit Keys smash sealed the victory, she was on the cusp of victory after a backhand pass and a serve at 116 mph. After failing to win a match from late March to early June, Maria appeared unable to articulate how she had improved. “You must never give up,” she added. “No matter what happens, you can never stop. Although I’ve had my ups and downs, I adore playing tennis, and we cherish these unique moments. This was definitely unique. Maria, who began the week as a 159-1 underdog to win Queen’s, has now defeated three players in the top 15 in the world, including 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and past French Open finalist Karolina Muchova. A place just outside the top 50 in the live WTA global rankings, an additional 320 ranking points, and a chance to play in Sunday’s final against Amanda Anismova—who defeated Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the second semi-final—are her rewards. Furthermore, who is to say that this enchanted tale is finished yet?