The last few days in Tennessee have been nothing short of a rollercoaster for 16-year-old Kristina Liutova. Making her WTA debut as a qualifier at the Memphis Open, she wasn’t even expected to reach the main draw. But no one could have expected the level of performance that Liutova would deliver.

The teenager has managed to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament. She has been involved in three nail-biting contests but has come out on top in each one of them. Her latest result was a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Maya Joint. Following which, the 16-year-old broke down in tears.

After the match, Liutova credited her mother for her success, becoming visibly emotional as she spoke about the role she has played in her journey. “This is my mom. She was with me since I was three years old at tennis,” she said during her post-match interview. “She brought me to tennis, and she did everything possible. It was so tough for her. I’m just grateful for her for everything she has done for me to get here. And yeah, I love you.”

Liutova’s mother, who was in the stands for the occasion, was also overcome with emotion and could be seen wiping away tears. It has been quite a tournament for the high-flying Russian, who has already reached a rank of No. 229. A major reason behind this is the title win at the Las Vegas W35 and back-to-back triumphs at W100 events in Indian Harbour Beach and Sumter.

She has compiled a sensational win-loss record of 30-4 this season and is just the second player born in 2010 to win a tour-level match, after Brazil’s Nauhany Vitoria Leme Da Silva, who reached the second round in Sao Paulo last September. These impressive results and feats played a big role in her making her debut on the WTA circuit at just 16 years of age. However, her campaign in Memphis was nothing short of gruelling.

She began her journey with the qualifying match against Maria Kozyreva. The clash would go down to the wire, with Liutova taking the first set but Kozyreva levelling the match by clinching the second.

The deciding set would go into a tiebreaker, but Liutova would hold her nerve to triumph 7-6 and take the match 6-3, 2-6, 7-6. The second match would prove to be even more thrilling as the teenager took on her compatriot, Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Liutova would take the lead in the match again by taking the first set that went into a tiebreaker. Alexandrova took the second set to force a decider, but Liutova capitalized in the final games. But she would then capitulate in the final few games of the match.

Trailing 5-4 in the third set and serving to stay in the match, Alexandrova appeared to be visibly ill due to the intense heat. The two players were playing under scorching temperatures of 93.2°F (34°C), and the match had already gone on for over three hours.

Alexandrova went down to the ground after each point in the tenth game and was left with no choice but to take a medical timeout at 15-30. But Alexandrova retired after the medical timeout, handing Liutova the match 7-6, 4-6, 5-4.

While both of these matches proved to be quite difficult for Liutova, the encounter against Joint was arguably the toughest one of the lot.

Kristina Liutova mounted an unreal comeback against Maya Joint in Memphis

Unlike the other two matches, Liutova was on the back foot in the opening set against Joint. The Australian was clearly the better player in the first set and clinched it to take a vital lead in the match.

But the 16-year-old refused to go down easily and forced a decider against all odds by taking the second set. The decider also saw Liutova dominate. Joint was overwhelmed by the teenager, who broke her serve five times during the match. Liutova eventually won the third set and triumphed after two hours and 24 minutes.

The Russian is now set to lock horns against Caty McNally in the last 8. Unlike Liutova, McNally had a way smoother ride to the quarterfinals as she didn’t have to play in the qualifiers and also cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Ma YeXin in the Round of 16.

Being the No. 6 seed, McNally may be considered the favorite to win on paper, but Liutova has already caused two major upsets in the competition. A rising star like her can’t be underestimated by any means. It remains to be seen which one of the two will secure a spot in the semifinals.