A wildcard run turns heads at the Cyprus Open

The domestic wildcard rarely goes far at a professional event, but this year's Cyprus Open had a different script. An 18-year-old from Larnaca, playing in only her second main-draw match at this level, beat two seeded opponents back to back to reach the quarter-finals.

Her run ended in straight sets against the tournament's top seed, but not before she had taken a set off a player ranked more than 300 places above her, drawing loud, local support from a crowd that grew with every round.

Tournament organisers said ticket sales for the back half of the week rose noticeably once her run became the talking point of the draw, and her coach confirmed she will now receive a run of wildcards on the regional tour to build on the ranking points earned this week.

"I just wanted to win one match," she said afterwards. "Everything after that has felt like a gift." Cypriot tennis has waited a while for a breakout story at home, and this week it got one.