Last Updated on October 31, 2021
Lisa Pigato had the opportunity to crown two of her biggest dreams in one day. The seventeen years old Italian player, thanks to her excellent performances against Leonie Kung and Liudmila Samsonova in the qualifying draw, earned her first main draw in the major circuit.
As chance would have it, her debut in a WTA tournament coincided with the challenge to one of her favorite tennis players, the American champion Serena Williams, who decided only last week to participate in the Emilia Romagna Open at the Parma Tennis Club.
The match ended with a score of 6-3, 6-2 in favor of S.Williams, but the emotions that a match like this can give to a young girl of just 17 years old are worth more than any defeat.
S.Williams words after the match
At the end of the match, Pigato also had the chance to ask for a photo of Williams, who accepted without a second thought.
The American then put the icing on the cake in the press conference, when she spent words of great admiration towards the very young Italian player.
Lisa told me that she is only 17 years old, but she plays really well.
She was in her first WTA tournament, she handled her moment very well and will have a super bright future. I will be rooting for her in the future. I usually take photos after the match, but for her it was her first time and I thought it was the right opportunity.
She will be able to look back at the photo over the years. I wish I had my first match photo too, that would be really nice. The match? I needed to adjust to the clay to get back to playing better. It was also difficult to understand his game at the beginning” .
Serena Williams
Pigato, on the other hand, tried to tell and describe all the emotions experienced in this unforgettable day.
“Playing against Serena was my dream. When the match was over, I thanked her, because it was an honor to play against her. She told me that I am a very good player, it was great to talk to her”
Lisa Pigato
