Gulf Today Report
Tokyo-born British lady Yuriko Lily Miyazaki is quite a tennis sensation. On Monday, she beat Margarita Betova of Russia, 6-3, 6-3, a major victory in her first main draw match at the US Open. But it is her credentials that need highlighting. She is a whizkid in mathematics and also a pianist.
She spent five years at university in Oklahoma, where she studied for a maths degree and then took a Masters in Information Technology Management.
She also knows how to tickle the ivories, as her mother Akiko is a professional pianist.
The victory over Betova means she pockets over £98,000, according to a report in a section of the British media. She now faces reigning Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
Miyazaki had a wild card for Wimbledon last year, She won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 against Slovakia's Viktoria Hruncakova in the final round of qualifying for the US Open on Saturday.
Born in Japan, the 27-year-old spent a few years in Switzerland as a young child before moving to London aged 10. That was because her father Yoichi got a job in finance there.
“Playing Wimbledon last year was amazing,” said Miyazaki. “But I think that, as a wild card, I don’t know how to explain it, but I don’t know if you truly believe like you belong.
“And I played Caroline Garcia, obviously she’s a pretty good player and I was really nervous going into that match. So hopefully this time I feel like I belong here. So that experience definitely helped me.”
Miyazaki may soon have the keys to remarkable success and stop counting how much she makes from tennis.