Iran Press/ Asia: At the 2022 Australian Open Junior Championships, Meshkatolzahra Safi competed against the Australian tennis player, ranked 352nd in the World Tennis Federation, and defeated her opponent 6: 3 and 6: 4 in 2 consecutive sets.
In the next round of the tournament, Safi will compete with tennis players from Belgium and Kazakhstan.
The history of the Iranian tennis player has been reflected in the world youth rankings and her participation in the Australian Grand Slam.
The 17-year-old is ranked No. 87 in the girls' rankings following a highly productive 2021, during which she claimed ten junior titles across both singles and doubles.
The World Women's Tennis Association published a photo of Al-Zahra Safi's problems on its social page and wrote: "Get acquainted with Al-Zahra Safi's problems. The first Iranian player is among the top 100 players in the world youth ranking and competes in Australian tennis competitions."
Safi is the first player from Iran to be ranked within the top 100 of the junior world rankings and, while her appetite and desire means her ambition stretches way beyond such a statistic, it is certainly a milestone worth marking.
"Although this is not my ultimate goal, it gives me a great feeling to be a motivation for other Iranian junior players and to encourage them," Safi told itftennis.com.
Beginning her tennis journey in Karaj, the capital of the Alborz Province, Safi claimed her first national titles aged ten before competing at successive ITF Asia Development Championships.
Her achievements are mounting, and Safi is a determined individual eager to forge a sporting career within a country not known for its tennis prowess. The backdrop is not an easy one, but Safi appears strong-willed and tenacious.
"To tell you the truth, it has been a tough journey so far," she said.
"At the beginning, I felt it was very difficult and the experience of other preceding players was showing there was little hope for big tennis achievement, especially with limited resources and support. But I have great motivation," Safi said.
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