Qualifier Katie Volynets advances at Australian Open

Katie Volynets' stunning Australian Open win over ninth seed Russian Veronika Kudermetova would have felt a bit sweeter for her extended family in Ukraine, who take pride in her achievements amid the ongoing war.

Born in the United States after her parents moved there and having taken up the sport as a five-year-old, Volynets scored a 6-4 2-6 6-2 win to become the first American qualifier to reach the third round in women’s singles at Melbourne Park since Lindsay Davenport in 1993.

Volynets, who frequently visited Ukraine as a child to meet her cousins and grandparents and was most recently in the war-torn nation after Wimbledon 2021, said she still enjoyed special support there.

"I have a lot of cousins in Ukraine and actually they watch every match. They usually write me and I communicate with them. It’s really special," Volynets said.

Volynets’ family is mostly in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk, where Russian missiles have rained down since Moscow’s invasion.

Zhang Shuai lies in wait for Volynets after the 23rd seed from China beat Petra Martic 6-3 6-3.

In-from Belarusian fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka beat Shelby Rogers 6-3 6-1, while France's fourth seed Caroline Garcia was tested by 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez before prevailing 7-6 (7-5) 7-5.