TheSportsCampus

In 1998, Czech Petr Korda won the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne. 14 years later his 18-year old daughter Jessica produced one of the most memorable wins in recent memory, battling back from three consecutive bogies which resulted in her not just throwing away the sole lead of the ISPS Handa Australian Open, but being forced into a 6-way play-off for the title. However, the youngster recovered her poise and sunk a 25-foot putt on the second play-off hole to register an incredible win.

This is what Jessica had to say after her incredible win...

Congratulations. How do you feel?

Overwhelmed.

Did you speak to your Dad?

I did. I got to speak to everybody except my brother who I think was sleeping. I was surprised that my sister was up. It was awesome.

What did your Dad say to you?

That he was so proud of me and we'll talk about the three-putts after.

What were you thinking as you stood over the putt on the 74^th hole? Were you thinking clearly?

I was thinking really clearly. I had one concept in my head...I was really calm. I knew what the putt did because I'd had it before and it did not move. I was a little higher up and more to the right. I knew the line and I knew the speed. All I had to do was just hit it. It started breaking. I thought, Oh my goodness no, don't lip out, don't break too early. I don't even know what side of the hole it hit. I was overwhelmed by everything.

What about earlier in the afternoon? Did you think you had missed your chance?

I think I bogeyed three holes in a row. I thought, You've got to be kidding me. I was lipping out and not reading my putts correctly. But I thought, Come on, you can still get it back. I was talking to Damon and Simon (caddies) as I was walking off the tee on 17. Simon said, Come on, have a strong finish...I was walking down the fairway like an absolute goof. After I made the birdie I was okay, like, I can do this. I can birdie the last hole. I saw the girls making mistakes on the green. I saw the opportunity but unfortunately I did not read the putt correctly.

You ran from the 16^th green to the 17^th tee.

I was kind of upset. I needed to let off some steam. The way I throw of steam is I go for a run. It calmed me down. I was running around the parking lot this morning too. I was doing circles around the cars.

You've won your first LPGA event at the age of 18. What does it mean to you?

A lot of the hard work I put in in the off season, all the times I was down last year, it is all worth it. It made me grow up. It made me realise that you've got to change your life to live out here and this is proof. I know that all the hard hours I put in and will keep putting in are really worth it. Every moment.

Do you get an exemption on the LPGA for the win?

I have no idea. I have not looked into that.

Did you do the kick your father did when he won here?

I did, in the ceremony.

Was it as high as Dad?

We'll see. I don't know.

Have you thought about that double?

When we spoke on Monday Dad said Melbourne had been good to him. As I was walking around here, there was a Melbourne sign on every green. It made me smile because it reminds me of the good times. I love watching Melbourne tennis. I watched all the time. It is a really special place for my family. For my first win, I honestly could not have thought of a better place.

You have been here for four weeks. Did you feel you game was building?

As I said, I was working really hard in the off season and taking a lot of money off my friends. I felt good. I got sick in Canberra. I finished my antibiotics two days ago. I was not doing well with my health. I was stuffy and coughing and really tired. Missing the cut on the Gold Coast was actually a blessing in disguise. It gave me time to rest. I had been playing well. It was time to take the rust off and get healthy.

Was it a flu virus?

I have no idea. I flew into Canberra and two days later I had a sore throat. I thought it was allergies but it was not.