At the age of 17, Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva is hitting milestones not just for herself, but her country.
As a lucky loser this week at the Hana Bank Korea Open, Jimenez Kasintseva has become the first player from the Pyrenean principality of Andorra, sandwiched between France and Spain with a population of 77,265, to reach a WTA quarterfinal. Showing off a dynamic, athletic game centered around a heavy left-handed forehand, she defeated Rebecca Marino, her third career Top 100 win, in the second round.
No Andorran had even competed in a WTA main draw before Jimenez Kasintseva made her debut in Madrid last year. This follows a stellar junior career in which she became the 2020 Australian Open girls’ champion at the age of 14.
Jimenez Kasintseva’s transition to the pros has already lifted her to World No.180, and she will receive another significant boost after her run in Seoul. Get to know what drives the teenage trailblazer here:
She’s inspired by players from other small countries … and by herself
“I’m very, very proud to represent my country,” Jimenez Kasintseva said via Zoom.
Starting a tennis career in Andorra was complicated, she said. There were no tennis courts, and she had to relocate to Barcelona to train.
“I lived with my father in Barcelona while my mother was in Andorra with my brother, and that was very hard for me. But honestly, it made me stronger.”
The only other ranked player in Andorra’s history on either tour was her own father, Joan Jimenez Guerra, who reached No.505 on the ATP Tour in 1999 and coached his daughter through her junior years. But Jimenez Kasintseva found inspiration in other players from non-traditional tennis countries such as Tunisia’s World No.2 Ons Jabeur and US Open girls’ champion Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.
“It’s amazing what Ons and Alex are doing, and I feel like I’m part of that. I remember seeing Ons on TV playing smaller events, and now she’s done two Grand Slam finals in a row. And I know Alex, and she really deserves all her success.”
Jimenez Guerra is currently paying it forward to future Andorran generations. He is in the process of building an academy and much-needed courts. With her father occupied at home, Jimenez Kasintseva is now working with Eduardo Nicolas, the former coach of WTA stars such as Daniela Hantuchova and Shahar Peer.
For now, when Jimenez Kasintseva needs some inspiration, there’s another player she often looks to: her younger self.
“When…