Serena Williams is not entering the details for the 2026 US Open. What he doesn’t want is that he doesn’t have a presence in the background.
Years ago, Thea Frodin performed as a body double for actress Demi Singleton, as she did in Williams’ Academy Award-winning film “King Richard.” Now 17 years old, she made her Grand Slam debut on Tuesday as a first-round opponent for No. Elena Rybakina made the 2nd seed.
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Rybakina won 6-3, 6-2, but it was still a special moment in Frodin’s young career.
Per the Associated Press, Frodin was invited to audition for Williams’ role after winning singles, doubles and mixed sectional titles at the 10 and under level in California.
Frodin, a vital fan of Williams, received the duties of the Court and held the office for six months;
“I went out six months ago and I was with some really cool actors and of course Will Smith, and the whole experience was super cool for me,” Frodin said. “And of course it can be a double, or a role of someone that I look up to, and it’s always been inspired by me, it’s really, like, a special experience for me.”
Frodin, who apparently never met Serena or Venus Williams, continued to compete after the film and won the USTA Billie Jean King Girls 18s National Championship this year, earning her a wild card draw at the US Open. She also competed in doubles at the US Open last year alongside teenage partner Kristina Penickova.
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Rybakina is obviously a tough first test. Frodin actually sent more aces than the big Kazakh serve (11-6), but the difference was evident at the level of the second serve, when Rybakina won 20 25 (80%) points in her service games, compared to Frodin’s 11 32 (34.4%). Frodin showed serious power, but Rybakina was simply more stable from the baseline.
Rybakina impressed in her post-match interview:
“So he played really well today. He has great shots, great serves. It wasn’t easy. I’m happy to be here, to play here. Thank you so much for coming and supporting us. It’s always a nice atmosphere. I really enjoy it.”
The competition was the first of all in the hope. All eyes will remain on Rybakina as they proceed.
Elena Rybakina is almost WTA No. 1 ranking
Rybakina is so close to taking the top WTA ranking from No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka steals so she technically doesn’t need to beat Frodin to make it.
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Because Sabalenka is defending her 2,000 ranking from her US Open title last year, while Rybakina only has 240 points to defend, Rybakina will need some very fine things to remain No. 2. Here’s how the scenarios play out;
Rybakina to the semifinals: Rybakina becomes No. 1 whatever.
Rybakina did not reach the semifinals, one Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula or Coco Gauff won the title: No. 1 is spurious.
Rybakina did not reach the semifinals, none of Sabalenka, Pegula or Gauff won the title; Rybakina becomes the No. 1 anyway.
With the win over Frodin, Rybakina is now four wins away from reaching the semifinals, while No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek and No. 13 seed Naomi Osaka representing her most dangerous potential opponent in the quarters.
The bigger concern might be Rybakina’s health, as she had to retire against Swiatek in Cincinnati with what turned out to be a heel injury. That injury did not bother him too much on Tuesday, but he noted that his recovery will be monitored;
“We’ll see every day. I’m happy I played a match, won the match. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. Because it’s quite a break. Not much to play or do physically. For me now one step at a time. The main thing is to recover and listen to the body. For now it was OK.”
Rybakina’s second round opponent will be Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who defeated Darja Vidmanova 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday.