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Russia's Maria Timofeeva defeated former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in three sets on Wednesday (January 17) to reach the third round of the 2024 Australian Open.
Timofeeva began her second-round encounter against the 2018 Melbourne Major winner on a worrisome note as she dropped the first set 6-1. The Russian qualifier, however, refused to go down quietly, taking the second set 6-4 in hard-fought fashion to force a decider.
It was one-way traffic for Timofeeva in the final set. The World No. 170 prevailed 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 over her older opponent to reach the third round of a Major for the first time in her career. Following her victory, she was quizzed on a variety of topics, with her followers surge on social media being one of them.
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The 20-year-old was informed by a reporter that she stood at nearly 14,000 followers on Instagram following her defeat of Caroline Wozniacki. Evidently surprised by the followers boost, she admitted that her social media account was stagnant at about 5,000 followers for a couple of years prior to her second-round win in Melbourne.
"That's crazy," Timofeeva remarked after she was told by the media that her Instagram followers had increased following her victory over Wozniacki. "I just checked the Instagram. I was, like, What the hell happened (laughing)? I was doing mine for like three years. I had 5,000 followers. Now I opened it. Like, I gained 8,000 in one match. That's crazy."
The Russian also disclosed that she had a YouTube channel for vlogging her experiences at professional tournaments.
"I try to use Instagram, and also I have a YouTube channel with my friend," she said. "We also do, like, the YouTube channel. So, yeah, I'm checking social media a bit."
Maria Timofeeva had won a WTA Tour title before career-best win over Caroline Wozniacki
Although Maria Timofeeva is playing in her first-ever main draw of a Major tournament at the 2024 Australian Open, she enjoyed her share of success on the WTA Tour before her recent win against Caroline Wozniacki.
The Russian had won the 2023 Budapest Grand Prix against all odds last June. Having lost in the qualifying event of the WTA 250 tournament, she received a Lucky Loser (LL) spot in the main draw.
What followed was a thrilling run, as Timofeeva won each of her last three matches in three tough sets to win her maiden pro title. Apart from her Budapest triumph, she has also won five titles on the ITF circuit.
Timofeeva will be eager to continue her dream run in Melbourne when she takes on 10th-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia for a place in the fourth round.
