October 2020 Breakthrough of the Month: Nadia Podoroska

Nadia Podoroska’s historic run from the qualifying rounds to her maiden Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros earned her your votes as October 2020's Breakthrough of the Month.

The 23-year-old from Argentina came into the tournament having never won a Grand Slam match or beaten a Top 50 player, but the signs were already there for Podoroska, ranked No.131 in the world. The 2019 Pan Am Games gold medalist kicked off an impressive 13-match winning streak with a run to the title at the ITF 60K in Saint-Malo before taking all of that momentum to Paris. 

Read more: Nadia Podoroska flying the flag for Argentina in Paris: ‘It’s like a dream come true’

Podoroska qualified for the main draw at Roland Garros without dropping a set, but the best was yet to come as she toppled No.23 seed Yulia Putintseva - a player ranked 104 places higher than her - in the second round to announce her Grand Slam arrival. 

"It's like a dream come true. It's been an amazing tournament for me. I didn't expect this result, so I'm very happy," Podoroska said after going on to defeat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the third round. 

"During the last few months, I felt more sure about my game. During the quarantine, I improved a lot. I spent time with my coaches training for three months, and I knew that I have been improving my game. Fortunately, I did that on the tournaments, so I think it's a process."

But Podoroska wasn’t done turning heads. Her dream fortnight in Paris continued as she stunned No.3 seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, completing the upset of the tournament in a dominant 6-2, 6-4 performance. 

Podoroska bowed out in the semifinals to eventual champion Iga Swiatek, but not before writing her name in the tennis history books as the first qualifier ever to reach that stage at Roland Garros. 

How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com

Previous 2020 WTA Breakthroughs of the Month
January: Ons Jabeur
February: Renata Zarazua 
August: Maria Sakkari
September: Iga Swiatek