“I look at Frances and I’m like ‘I’m going to see you at the Open,’” Montgomery recalled, beaming. “He sprinted out of the fitness room, kicked the door, and he’s screaming. We were all just really excited.”

Another hurdle followed the good news, however: A player in Montgomery’s training group at the tennis center tested positive for the coronavirus, meaning Montgomery could not continue training at the center in the weeks before her Grand Slam debut. In the interim, a series of withdrawals by top women allowed the 593rd-ranked Montgomery to claim an unexpected spot in the qualifying draw of the Western & Southern Open, where she had her first match against a top-100 opponent, falling 6-1, 6-4 to Sorana Cirstea.

Ponkka said he believed the tour stoppage would make Montgomery’s lack of big stage experience less of an issue than it would be otherwise.

“Everybody’s in the same boat,” he said, adding: “She’s a very smart girl on and off the court, and I have confidence that she will be able to play well. How far that takes her, nobody knows, but she’s going to be playing some good tennis there.”

The youngest player in the draw already has a vote of confidence from the eldest: Venus Williams, 40, came away impressed by Montgomery after the two hit together this summer while Williams was in Washington.

“It feels like she’s got a bright future,” Williams said. “She looks like she’s got ease in the strokes and natural power coming along. All it takes is time and perseverance. There is no limit to what a person can achieve as long as they believe it. It’s all in the cards for her if she can make that happen.”

Source: New York Times

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