Jaimee Fourlis quadrupled her career earnings in the space of three days by reaching the second round of the Australian Open – but the 17-year-old insists money was only a bonus given the gigantic steps she took in her career.
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The dream run of the 17-year-old Australian came to an end at the hands of two-time grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova on Margaret Court Arena on Wednesday.
The youngest Australian female to win a match at Melbourne Park in nine years put up a fight against the seasoned pro, but the class of Kuznetsova proved too difficult in the 6-2, 6-1 win.
Fourlis, who before the tournament had amassed just over $17,000 in career prizemoney, will walk away with a handy $80,000 cheque for her efforts at Melbourne Park.
"The money's just a bonus," Fourlis said. "Honestly, that's the last thing I thought of when I won the wildcard. I was just happy to be playing in the Australian Open. I think it will just got towards my funding towards the rest of the year."
Fourlis, a Collingwood and Melbourne Victory tragic, announced herself as a star of the future with a first-round 6-4, 6-3 victory over Anna Tatishvili in what was her maiden grand slam appearance.
The world No.414, who made her WTA main draw debut in Hobart last week, was understandably nervous in her battle against the world No.10, giving up the break in the opening game of the match.
While Fourlis, who won a wildcard play-off into the tournament, showed glimpses of brilliance in the straight-sets loss to the Russian veteran, she was unable to keep her dream run alive.
However, she wasn't deterred by the loss and remained upbeat about her accomplishments in her home slam.
"No matter how it went today I was pretty proud of myself to actually make the second round of a slam," Fourlis said.
"Yeah it didn't go my way but I'm pretty proud of myself; pretty happy. Playing a two-time grand slam champion doesn't come along every day. She's an incredible player. I held my own but she's a lot more experienced. She has a better serve; a bigger serve. But I don't think there was anything that was quite different."
The Victorian tried not to get caught up in the moment and had to turn her phone off the past few nights to avoid social media.
However, she was conscious of making the most of what was a special few days for the teenager, who earned an army of followers with her performances.
"It's an amazing feeling ... you get shivers. The crowd was amazing today," Fourlis said.
"Every point they were chanting my name and you don't get that anywhere else except at home. When I walked in, when they called my name, I took all that in but then I had to concentrate. They cheer every Aussie on and I'm very grateful they came to watch me today."
