Who is Katie Volynets? Meet the American sensation who shocked ninth seed Veronika Kudermetova at the Australian Open

Katie Volynets registered a major upset at the 2023 Australian Open with a second-round win over World No. 9 Veronika Kundermetova. She won 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

The 21-year old was the underdog going into the match but started strong, winning the first set. After losing the second set, she broke twice in the final set, turning the match in her favor, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

She enters the third round of the Australian Open as the only American singles women's qualifier to do so since Lindsey Davenport in 1993.

Although this was her first win over a Top 10 player, Volynets had earlier upset World No. 19 Monica Puig in the 2020 Cincinnati Masters. Let's discuss everything we know about the young American.

Who is Katie Volynets?

The World No. 113 has Ukrainian roots. Her family moved from Ukraine to Walnut Creek, California before Volynets was born. It was her older brother who first began taking tennis lessons when she tagged along with coloring books and toys to keep herself busy until one day, she asked to play herself.

Her mother was keen on Volynets pursuing swimming but her love for tennis was clear.

"In swimming I feel -- nothing against swimming, but for me personally I felt that you just take one lap, two laps, three laps, four different strokes. In tennis there's so many different shots, and that kept it really exciting for me all the time. I'm still really excited about every shot (smiling). In addition, there's a huge mental aspect of tennis, which keeps it fresh," she revelaed in the post-match press conference.

Her family hails from Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk and they made regular visits up until 2021. She can speak Russian, Ukrainian and English and enjoys practicing the languages with her peers. She expressed pride in her roots but had no doubts about representing the United States.

"Well, my brother was born in the Ukraine, but as I was born in the U.S., it was always U.S. 100%," she said.

Katie Volynets' journey so far

The 21-year-old achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 109 last year. She has won two singles titles in on the ITF Circuit at the $100K event in Bonita Springs.

Katie Volynets in action at the 2023 Australian Open

Speaking about her transition from ITF to WTA, she said:

"I feel like we did a good job of sprinkling in first national tournaments, then ITF tournaments, and then those junior slams. Then we moved into the ITF pro circuits, and I feel like having a balanced schedule has really helped me to make the transition and it helps to develop the game," she said.

The American started her WTA tour in 2019, earning a wildcard entry to the US Open where she lost in the first round to Bianca Andreescu. She qualified for Wimbledon in 2021 and made her debut at the WTA 1000 level, receiving a wildcard for the Indian Wells Masters.

The World No. 113 won the USTA Wildcard Challenge at the 2022 French Open where she recorded her first Grand Slam win over Viktorija Golubic. She qualified for the main draw of the ASB Classic earlier this year, where she lost in the Round of 32 to Venus Williams.

Volynets will next meet either China's Zhang Shuai or Croatian Petra Martic in the third round of the Australian Open on Friday, January 20.