Young Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina sent shockwaves through the ASB Classic tournament last night upsetting last year's champion Venus Williams 6-7, 6-3, 6-3.
The 18-year-old showed patience and great composure for her age to dump Williams out of the Auckland tournament in the first round.
"It was a big pleasure to play against Venus because she is a legend," said Kasatkina.
"When I was young it was a dream to play against her and now I beat her, it is something unbelievable for me."
Kasatkina credited her coach for her upset victory over the top seeded Williams.
"Without him (coach) maybe I would not win."
Kasatkina seemed to have set high expectations of herself before the stunning upset over the top seeded Williams, hoping to round off 2016 with a promising ranking.
"My ambitions are very high now I want to be at least in the top 20 in 2016."
"It was an unbelievable atmosphere there was so many spectators; I was a little bit nervous.
"I like to play when there are a lot of people watching me,” she said.
Ranked 75th in the Women’s Tennis Rankings, no doubt the Russian will better her position after such a promising start in the ASB Classic.
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