Podoroska moves onward from Paris dream run

On Wednesday in Linz, in her first match since her Roland Garros breakthrough, Nadia Podoroska beat Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-4, 6-4. It was her first appearance in over a month.

Podoroska had reached the semifinals in Paris as a qualifier, complete with a quarterfinal upset of Elina Svitolina. She insists life hasn't changed despite her skyrocketing from No. 131 into the Top 50.

"After Paris I came back to Alicante—I live there, I train in Spain," she said. "Basically I rest the first week and then I started training again, so my life didn't change too much. I'm playing another tournament, but my life is quite same."

At the new WTA International in Australia, she's seeded No. 6 and is set to face the challenging Camila Giorgi on Thursday. Despite all she's accomplished this fall, Podoroska doesn't see herself as a favorite.

"I still try to be focused on each match and try to learn about this new tournament," she said. "And try to keep improving my game., my tennis."

The 23-year-old hails from Argentina, a country rich with hard-working, humble tennis champions. She names Guillermo Vilas and Gabriela Sabatini as her idols, but she has been inspired by her compatriot Diego Schwartzman most recently. He just qualified for the ATP Finals for the first time.

"Now in the present, Diego is an inspiration for me because at the moment he is [No. 9] in the world and he worked too hard for achieving all what he achieved," she said. "And it's super motivating for me."

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