Donna Vekic: Making the most of sweet 16

Donna Vekic of Croatia smiles after a lucky bounce over the net in her semi-final against Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia during the AEGON Classic Tennis Tournament at Edgbaston Priory Club on June 15, 2013 in Birmingham, England. (Getty Images)

Sixteen years of age, blonde, suave and waltzing on the grass at Birmingham? Sounds like we are back to the days of 2003 when tennis’s ultimate glam queen Maria Sharapova made a noteworthy debut, when she made it to the Birmingham semi-finals.

However, this is a decade later and the player impressing everyone is 16-year-old Croatian Donna Vekic, who is not only playing crisp and smart grasscourt tennis, but is also bold enough to quickly shrug off comparisons with Sharapova.

“That’s very nice but she has her career and I have my career,” Donna puts a resounding full stop to all the comparisons, which will nonetheless continue to flow in. The Croat who trains in London under the tutelage of David Felgate has already ratcheted up the rankings in an amazing fashion and is now the youngest teenager sitting pretty within the world’s top 100.

Saturday’s achievement of reaching the first career grasscourt final will propel Birmingham debutante Donna further up the rankings, and she has a massive chance of breaking into the top 60 if she captures the title on Sunday.

A promising talent announces her superb grasscourt supremacy just days before Wimbledon and there will undoubtedly be expectations of her replicating Sharapova’s dazzling 2004 Birmingham-Wimbledon double.

Donna, grounded and headstrong, refuses to bask in the glory and underlines it is not such a dreamy job in the days of the remarkable and in-form Serena Williams and determined Sharapova herself.

“It’s nice to know, but I don’t think it’s possible at the moment,” she answers back. But she does ooze of confidence when she points out, “But I am playing really well at the moment so hopefully I can get through a few rounds.”

Perhaps this headstrong attitude and the belief that she can remain toe-to-toe with the best in the business are inspiring her to flourish. At Tashkent last year, Donna displayed her grittiness for the first time, when she became the youngest player in six years to reach a WTA final and that too as a qualifier.

On Saturday in Birmingham, she edged past the same player she had soundly beaten in Tashkent last fall – 2009 champion Magdalena Rybarikova – and it wasn’t a smooth joyride. She had to overcome some brilliant craftiness from the Slovak – and her own frustration – before putting the final nail in the coffin in three sets.