University of Georgia Athletics
Perez Earned Second Slam Shot
August 26, 2016 | Women's Tennis
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
There are four Grand Slam tournaments in professional tennis. Ellen Perez will have played in half of them in 2016 once she takes the court next week at the U.S. Open, in New York.
That's not bad for the Georgia junior, a three-time All-American from Shellharbour, Australia, who finished her sophomore season with a 16-3 dual match record at No. 1 singles and an ITA ranking of No. 5 in the country.
Back in January, Perez teamed up with fellow Australian Belinda Woodcock, then a junior at Florida, and played in the Australian Open doubles main draw, losing in the first round. That wildcard was a gift from the Tennis Australia Federation to two of the country's top collegiate players.
To get into her first U.S. Open, and first Grand Slam singles event, Perez got some help from Tennis Australia, but she did the hard work.
After a great summer playing in Europe — she played in professional events as an amateur — Perez was invited by Tennis Australia to play in a U.S. Open wildcard qualifying event last week at the IMG Bollettieri Academy in Florida. There were five players in the field, all Aussies, playing for Tennis Australia's lone wildcard into the U.S. Open draw.
Perez arrived in Florida red hot after a tremendous run in lower-level pro tournaments in Europe. She won a singles title in Brussels, Belgium, reached the final of an event and the semifinals of another. Perez, an All-American in doubles each of her first two years at Georgia, also won four doubles titles this summer.
"As I went on I was getting more confident and believing more in certain shots, and I think that really paid off," Perez said of her summer. "By the end of the tournament (last week), I thought I was playing really well."
Indeed.
Perez, ranked No. 723 in the world, won three matches in as many days, including wins over the top two seeds, to claim the wildcard and earn a trip to New York. In the final she beat Ashleigh Barty, 6-4, 6-3 — completing a straight-set sweep of the field.
"It's the biggest wins I've had in my career so far, especially with what was on the line for me," Perez said.
The U.S. Open announced its draws on Friday and Perez, the lowest ranked player in the field, was able to avoid playing someone of the stature of top-ranked Serena Williams in the first round. Instead, Perez will face the 49th-ranked Shuai Zhang, of China. The first round matches are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, and Perez will take the court on Tuesday morning against Zhang.
With a win Perez would likely face fellow Australian Sam Stosur, the No. 16 seed and 2011 U.S. Open champion. Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace and associate head coach Drake Bernstein will be on hand for a Bulldogs' first main draw of singles appearance since 2010, when NCAA singles champion Chelsey Gullickson made the field.
Perez arrived at Georgia with plenty of talent, but it's the work and improvement over the past two years that got her to this point, Wallace said.
"Since the moment she got here, from her first semester to her second semester, there was great improvement, and she made some jumps that summer," Wallace said. "Then last year, fall semester to spring semester, she just continued to make great strides in her game, and she's contuining this upward swing.
"I think that's the most exciting part of it for her, she's put a lot of things together and is playing some elite tennis."
Just as Perez had to work to earn the U.S. Open wildcard, she had to work to win the event in Brussels. Unranked at that time, she had to go through the qualifying before marching through the main draw without dropping a set. Perez said her game has definitely improved over the summer.
"Overall my consistency and probably my forehand — just being able to use that shot more as a weapon," she said.
The challenge of playing in a lower-level pro event with $10,000 in prize money up for grabs is as far away from facing the competition she'll see in the U.S. Open as Brussels is from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. Which means Perez won't have an ounce of pressure on her.
"Everyone's a really good player there and I'm the lowest ranked in the draw, so I definitely have nothing to lose and everything to gain," she said.
One thing that will help Perez stay calm, at least in theory, is her experience playing in the Australian Open doubles in January. She's been around the world's greatest players and played on the biggest stage in the sport.
"It's kind of daunting, knowing where to go and where not to go and how to be so professional like the level that they're at," she said. "That definitely prepared me in that sense."
For Wallace, seeing Perez improve and seize opportunities like this is gratifying. And he couldn't be more excited about what the future holds.
"I think that for me the best news is that there's still a lot of areas in her game that are going to get better through the next year or two," he said. "Her volleys, her transition and fitness, there's more areas that are going to continue to grow.
"I think it's just a great experience and you've got to go up there and play free, be all in and realize that this is a great experience and a great opportunity."
An opportunity she went on the court and earned.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
