Italian Open: Who Is Aryna Sabalenka’s R2 Opponent Katie Volynets? Everything to Know About the 22-YO Rising American Star

Aryna Sabalenka is back on the clay court again in Rome! Facing her in the first round will be a young American talent, Katie Volynets. However, even before she starts her face-off against Sabalenka, Volynets has already won three matches in the Italian Open! Therefore, the limelight is already shining on the 22-year-old. But the question remains the same among tennis fans. Who is this rising star of tennis, Katie Volynets?

Although Katie Volynets was born in California, her roots lie in Ukraine, where her extended family still lives! But when did her love for tennis begin? Well, when she was only five years old, she got inspired by watching her older brother play tennis with her family. “In tennis there’s so many different shots, and that kept it really exciting for me all the time. I’m still really excited about every shot (smiling). In addition, there’s a huge mental aspect of tennis, which keeps it fresh,” she once said in an interview.

Although her love for tennis began at a very young age, it was not until 2018 that she began her professional career in tennis. Within one year, she earned a wild card to the US Open by winning the USTA girls’ 18s National Championship against Emma Navarro! But sadly, her dream of competing in the U.S. Open came to an end after her first round of defeat. But Katie Volynets didn’t give up. And soon her hard work paid off. 

Two years later, Volynets qualified for the Wimbledon Championships and made her debut at the WTA 1000 level in Indian Wells. By the next year, she was already competing in the French Open as well. But 2023 proved to be a milestone for her, where she reached her first semifinal match in her career apart from her Australian Open debut. As a result, she achieved a career-high ranking of World No. 74.

And even this year, Katie Volynets has had a busy schedule so far. With back-to-back matches starting from Canberra International to the current ongoing match in Rome, she is determined to make her presence known in the tennis world. Her career achievements in tennis are well known to us, but apart from tennis, Volynets had an interest in another field as well!

Katie Volynets chose tennis over swimming!

Katie Volynets is having a great time on-court this season. Apart from reaching the third round of Indian Wells for the first time, she also made her debut in Miami Open and Charleston Open as well. However, she doesn’t confine her prowess to tennis only. She is also a good swimmer! Although she learned it from her mother, later she quit it. While stating the reason why she chose tennis over swimming, she admitted,

“In tennis, you don’t repeat one shot over and over. Nothing against swimming, but for me personally, I felt that you just take one lap, two laps, three laps, four different strokes.”

And so she pursued her career in tennis and is making headlines in the tennis world. But right now, one question is on all of our minds. Will Katie Volynets defy the odds and defeat World No. 2? But either way, her name in the tennis world is sure to be remembered for a long time.