Teen Phenomenon Turns Back the Years

In the late '90s Mirjana Lucic announced herself as a bright prospect of the game. In 1997, at the tender age of 15, the Croatian phenomenon won the very first tournament she played, in Bol. One year later she claimed the title in the very first doubles tournament she played, conquering the Australian Open doubles crown with fellow teen sensation, Martina Hingis. But it wasn't until 1999 that she recorded the best performance of her career, stunning all-time great Monica Seles to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon. While the impressive achievement should have been the beginning of an amazing journey, sadly, it marked the sudden end.

A few dark years have passed and Mirjana, now Lucic-Baroni, gave tennis another shot—she made a full-time return to the tour in 2010. Things didn't kick in immediately, but when all hope was gone, the Croatian reminded the world of the young, pony-tailed, blond girl with huge groundstrokes. In one of the biggest upsets of this year's US Open, she stunned world No.2, Simona Halep, 7-6, 6-2 to make the fourth round.

The result comes as a major surprise. Not only was in-form Halep one of the main contestants for the title, but Lucic-Baroni had failed to win back-to-back matches in a main draw since Doha.

The encounter started with Halep in command, the Romanian building what seemed like a decisive 5-2 lead. But after saving two set points, Lucic caught fire. She pushed the opener into a tiebreak—which she won 8-6—then served out the biggest victory of her career. "It's incredible. It's just amazing," Lucic-Baroni said while fighting back tears. "I can't believe this is happening to me again."

The former teen prodigy couldn't repeat the feat against feisty Sara Errani. The Italian recovered from a second set blackout to end Mirjana's dream run 6-3,2-6,6-0.

Although she did not make the quarterfinals, the Croatian has plenty to cheer for. The points she gained in New York are enough to guarantee a return to the top 100, a position that should help her get her career back on track. Let's see what future has in store for this former teen prodigy!

After shocking world No.2 Simona Halep, Mirjana Lucic's dream run at the US Open was ended by feisty Italian, Sara Errani in the fourth round. The Croatian succumbed 6-3,2-6,6-0, but reminded the world what an exceptional player she can be.

photos: GETTY IMAGES