Identified as a top prospect to lead Australia in women’s tennis in the post Ash Barty-era, Olivia Gadecki is on the cusp of becoming the nation’s No.1 woman after continuing a breakout week in Mexico with another superb win on Saturday AEST.
After defeating 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and former Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins earlier this week, Gadecki reached her first WTA Tour semifinal by defeating former top 20-ranked Italian Martina Trevisan 6-2 3-6 6-1 in Guadalajara.
The stellar week of the Gold Coast-raised Gadecki in the WTA 500 event has seen her jump almost 50 ranking spots to a live estimate of 103 and is further evidence of a maturing talent.
Watch GWS v Brisbane SAT 7:30PM AEST | LIVE & ad-break free during play, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
She will play Colombian Camila Osorio for a spot in the final of the A$1.4 million tournament and will break into the top 100, and become Australia’s N0.1, should she succeed.
As it stands, Gadecki has less than 100 points to defend for the rest of the year and with Daria Saville, who sits at 100 on a live estimate, sidelined with a foot issue, her progression to the No.1 Australian ranking seems a formality.
Her rise in the rankings almost guarantees Gadecki, who is of Ukrainian decent and has five brothers, will earn direct entry into a major for the first time next January at the Australian Open, an event where she reached the second round in 2023.
“There are a lot of things I am proud of this week,” she said.
“Just coming out here and competing and giving myself the chance to do well this week, I’m all round really proud of myself.”
The progression of the right-hander, who qualified for Wimbledon and represented Australia in the Paris Olympics, will not surprise Barty, who defeated Collins to win the 2022 Australian Open and has mentored the rising star at different stages in recent years.
The pair practised together regularly during the three-time grand slam champion’s sabbatical from the tour during the pandemic and the former world No.1 has long-been impressed with Gadecki’s attitude on and off the court.
“Liv brings genuine life into Australian tennis. She is the one who injected oxygen back into my pre-seasons and my career and I know she has had a unique journey herself,” Barty told this reporter ahead of the 2023 Australian Open.
“Now I can see it in her eyes that she has got the hunger and the desire and it is about her now putting her head down and finding the ways to enjoy it and keep it alive and keep it fun.”
Gadecki showcased her talent when defeating 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in a tournament in Melbourne during the Covid-delayed summer of 2022.
The strength of the groundstrokes that have overwhelmed elite rivals in Mexico this week were apparent in that match but the young Aussie recognised at the time she was still a work in progress and needed to find greater consistency in matches and tournaments.
Her form in the United States in recent months has been encouraging, with Gadecki reaching the final of a $150,000 event in Pennsylvania in August and the quarterfinals of a WTA 125-tier event in Mexico held during the second week of the US Open.
In the interview prior to last year’s Australian Open with The Age, Barty said her young friend had a game that “can be damaging”.
“She has got a mind that, tactically, is more aware than she knows and I love spending time on court with her because she is a breath of fresh air,” Barty said.
“She is an incredibly talented, gorgeous young girl and I really do hope that she does well, because she enjoys it.”