British teen surprises everyone by beating a player ranked 219 spots above them!
A 17-year-old ranked 275 in the world has caught everyone’s attention by pulling off an incredible win in her Billie Jean King Cup debut in Melbourne.
Mika Stojsavljevic shocked the tennis world by beating world No. 65 Talia Gibson 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, overcoming a huge ranking gap of 219 places. Gibson was the clear favorite, but Mika held her ground.
The teenager started strong, going up 3-1, but the first set was tough and needed a tie-break after Gibson fought back. Mika stayed focused and took control in the second set, leading 4-1. Even though she missed a chance to serve for the match at 5-3, she kept her cool and closed out the win.
“I can’t believe it, it feels amazing,” Mika said after the match. “I don’t even remember the last point, I just played my best with great support and got through.”
Born in the UK to a Serbian dad and Polish mom, Mika trained at the LTA national academy in Loughborough. After finishing her GCSEs last summer, she’s now studying English Literature and Politics at A-Level while competing on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
Before her match, Mika shared how special it was to be picked to represent Great Britain alongside Harriet Dart, Katie Swan, and Jodie Burrage.
“It means everything to me,” she told the LTA. “I’m so excited to be here and have really enjoyed my time with the team so far.”
She also remembers the moment she got the call from captain Anne Keothavong. “I had just finished at the gym when she called. I couldn’t believe it! I knew there was a chance, but when it was confirmed, I was so excited.”
Mika’s big breakthrough came in 2024 when she became the first British player in 15 years to win the US Open girls’ singles title. Since then, she’s won the Lexus British Pro Series Birmingham and reached the finals in the Lexus Wrexham Open and W100 Dubai. Keep an eye on her—she’s destined for big things!