Elizabeth Mandliková is on her way to the pinnacle of tennis. On Monday, the 21-year-old tennis player representing the United States finally reached an important career milestone.

She qualified in San Jose and beat experienced compatriot, world number 33 Alison Riske-Amritraj in the first round. He recorded his first win on the WTA circuit.

She is once again one step closer to her bold long-term dream: winning a Grand Slam and becoming world number one.

The path is not simple and artsy. The famous name, which tennis fans often don’t associate with Hana Mandlíková because of America’s unbiased version, understandably can’t do anything on its own.

Thanks to his success in California, Mandliková will see his first appearance in the elite 200. That is for sure. The biggest tournaments are already within reach, as well as the possibility of further and faster progress towards the heights.

The player, whom they called Eli for a short term, understands Czech very well, speaking worse. In interviews, he admitted that at his home in Florida, his family only spoke English. A family with extra strong tennis DNA. Elizabeth’s twin brother, Mark, is also a tennis player, though not quite as successful. The current ATP doesn’t even list him in the world rankings.

However, four-time Grand Slam champion Hana Mandlíková, at least for her daughter, is tennis’ main role model.

“I have been a tennis fan my whole life and the list of people who have influenced me is long. But I definitely respect my mother the most. She is my biggest supporter and fan, she is a Hall of Famer and she is done. So much. So I want to work hard to make him proud of me,” the young tennis player recently told Digitaljournal.com.

Mandlíková, now sixty, shined in the eighties. In 1980, he won the Australian Open, the following season he added a win at Roland Garros. He held the US Open trophy in his hands in 1985 and celebrated it in Melbourne for the second time in 1987. He has also reached two Wimbledon finals and is ranked highest in the world at number three.

He ended his great career in 1990 at the age of only twenty-eight, he already had Australian citizenship. He also lived with Jana Novotna in Antwerp, Belgium, and eventually landed in a pure tennis environment in Florida. It was there, particularly in Boca Raton, that she gave birth to twins in 2001.

He often had his children’s matches. “Sometimes I can’t watch it,” he described last year.

Regarding the fact that his children already represent the United States, he commented in 2017: “If you look at it around the world, it basically doesn’t matter. They were born in America. If they were born in the Czech Republic, they play for them. patriots and I won’t let you go to the Czech Republic. But when you travel year round, you have a global perspective.”

He must be very happy with Elizabeth now. Her daughter was already shining early in the year, when she won two ITF tournaments in Brazil. Now he has confirmed his performance at San Jose, where he will play his biggest duel to date in the second half.

In it, she will challenge the big favourite, world number four Paula Badosa of Spain.

“My performance goals for the future include participation in all Grand Slams, then a Grand Slam title and becoming world number one,” he reminded in May this year that his childhood dream did not leave him even after reaching American adulthood.

“For short-term goals, I just want to keep improving my tennis and my mind step by step. The most important thing for me is to keep the same intensity and inner passion for this sport,” he said.