Donna Vekic thanks Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for his tips after Linz Open 1R win

Donna Vekic thanked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after producing a delectable backhand volley winner on match point against Tamara Korpatsch in her Linz Open opener on Tuesday (February 7) night.

The World No. 33 has been one of the in-form players on tour this year, winning all three matches at the inaugural United Cup and reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals.

She continued her hot streak against Korpatsch, edging out a tight first set on a tiebreak before blitzing through the second for the loss of just one game. With the win, the Croatian improved to 8-1 on the season, bringing up the 7-6(4), 6-1 victory with a backhand volley the retired Tsonga would have been proud of.

She tweeted afterwards, thanking the Frenchman for his tips.

"Had to finish with a backhand volley. Tsonga, thanks for the tips."

Interestingly, Vekic played a practice match with the Frenchman earlier this week, which Tsonga won in straight sets. Despite retiring last year, the 2008 Australian Open runner-up looked to be in good physical shape during the 'friendly' contest.

An elated Vekic shared a picture of the duo on Twitter, with the Frenchman leading 6-2, 6-5 in the practice match.

Vekic will next face the winner of the clash between Madison Brengle and Julia Grabher on Thursday for a place in the last eight.

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"I'm sure in a couple of days I'll realise what a great month it has been" - Donna Vekic after losing Australian Open QF

Donna Vekic in action at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2023 - Day 2

Donna Vekic brought a seven-match winning streak into her Australian Open quarterfinals against eventual winner Aryna Sabalenka last month.

However, the Belarusian proved to be too hot to handle, snapping Vekic's winning start to the year for the loss of just five games. Nevertheless, in her post-match press conference, Vekic wasn't overly critical of herself, acknowledging that she has had a great start to the year and that she'd forget the disappointment of her defeat soon.

"I'm sure in a couple of days I'll realise what a great month it has been, what a great start of the year. Right now I am sad, disappointed. But I think it would be strange if it wasn't like that. Most importantly, I really enjoyed my time here. I've had a great couple of weeks, not just the matches, I had a lot of fun training, doing some off-court stuff, just spending time with my team. Just the beginning of the season."

It was Donna Vekic's first Grand Slam quarterfinal since reaching the last eight at the 2019 US Open.