Haddad Maia thrills Brazil with US Open quarterfinal run

It catapulted Haddad Maia into the top 10 for the first time, and it took eventual champion Iga Swiatek to stop her run in Paris.

She is also the first left-handed South American woman in the Open era to reach the quarterfinals in New York.

“The semifinal in the French Open helps to believe, to know that, okay, I already passed through this moment,” Haddad Maia said.

“Is not easy for the tennis players. We know how pressure feels every single match. Doesn’t matter if it’s quarterfinals or first round. I think not only Roland Garros semifinals but also the other matches that I had in Grand Slams, especially… matches that I lost.

“I felt a lot of pain right after, and I think I learned a lot from these moments. I feel that I have this different experience, and I feel ready for the next quarterfinal.”

Former Brazilian ATP player Andre Sa spoke of the impact Haddad Maia’s semifinal run at Roland Garros had at the time.

Her performance in New York, beamed on televisions across South America in a similar time zone, will only heighten her profile.

“It’s a reference that the kids need. It’s the same thing that when Guga [Kuerten] was playing well… It makes a big difference to have someone having those kind of results, because it makes you believe you can as well,” Sa told ausopen.com.

LISTEN: Andre Sa on The Sit-Down podcast

“Now the same thing; all kinds of little girls are definitely going to start playing in Brazil, seeing what she’s doing here and what she’s accomplished. Not only that, but she’s a great person. Very easy going, accessible. She’s really nice. The family’s nice.

“She knows her role as a role model and as an athlete, so she’s always available to the kids, she’s always being nice to fans. She’s a complete package.”