For the first time in 25 years, a Mexican tennis player won a match at the Australia Open in Melbourne, Australia. With her victory on Monday, Renata Zarazúa, 27, marked Mexico’s first win at Melbourne Park since Angélica Gavaldón beat Tzipi Obziler in the first round of the 2000 edition.

Zarazúa advanced to the next round after defeating the U.S.’s Taylor Townsend in three sets, which she won 6-7, 6-1 and 6-2.  

The Mexican athlete faced a challenging first set, during which Townsend hit 11 consecutive aces. Still, Zarazúa won the first set in a tiebreaker. Zarazúa became the dominant player afterward, winning the second and third sets.

This marks Zarazúa’s third career victory in one of the four major tennis tournaments worldwide, following her win at Roland Garros in 2020 and her defeat of Caroline Garcia at the US Open 2024.

While she is competing in her fifth consecutive Grand Slam, this is her first as part of the main draw. In 2024, she secured her place by breaking into the top 70 of the WTA rankings, a position previously achieved only by Gavaldón.

Zarazúa’s next match will take place Jan. 15 or 16. She will compete against Italian Jasmine Paolini in the second round. Paolini, ranked No. 4 by the WTA, is coming off the best year of her career. Last year, she reached the finals of two Grand Slams and won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Zarazúa hails from a tennis family. Her uncle, Vicente Zarazúa, represented Mexico on its Davis Cup team in the 1960s. She is currently coached by her brother, Patricio.

Zarazúa was also the first tennis player to represent Mexico at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020. 

With reports from Nmas and Claro Sports