A Qualifier Reaches the Open Semifinal — and Brings Her Mom as Coach

Grace Lindqvist had to win three matches just to get into the main draw. On Thursday she beat the fourth seed 6–4, 7–5 to reach the semifinals. Two weeks ago, the 22-year-old from Minnesota was ranked 142nd in the world and wondering whether she could afford another season on the road. Now she has beaten three seeded players in a row, earned the largest paycheck of her career and become the first qualifier in more than a decade to reach the final four of the Open. She did it with the same coach she has had since she was six years old: her mother.

The crowd on the main court stood for almost a full minute after match point, and Lindqvist spent much of it looking up toward the players’ box, where her mother sat with both hands over her mouth. It was a scene that has quickly become the story of the tournament.

How the quarterfinal was won

Lindqvist’s opponent on Thursday was one of the most consistent players on the tour, a powerful baseliner who had not dropped a set all week. Few expected the qualifier to keep it close. Instead, Lindqvist broke serve in the very first game and never let the favorite settle into a rhythm.

Her game plan was simple and disciplined. She kept the ball low with a sliced backhand, pulled her opponent into the net with short balls and then passed her down the line. She mixed the pace of her serve rather than going for big first serves, and she won 71 percent of the points when her first serve landed. The first set ended on a backhand winner that clipped the line.

The second set was tighter. Lindqvist fell behind 3–5 and faced two set points at 4–5. She saved both with aggressive returns, broke back and then won the final three games in a row. She finished the match with 24 winners and only 13 unforced errors, a remarkable ratio against an opponent of that quality.

The road through qualifying

Two weeks ago, Lindqvist was not guaranteed a single match in the main draw. Players ranked outside the top 100 usually have to win three rounds of qualifying, played on outer courts in front of small crowds, before they even reach the main event. Many of the best players in the world never see those courts. For players like Lindqvist, they are a regular part of life.

Her path to the semifinals has been long and unlikely. Here is how it has unfolded:

1. Three qualifying wins, including a three-set match that lasted nearly three hours.
2. A first-round win over a veteran who had reached the quarterfinals last year.
3. Second- and third-round wins over two seeded players, both in straight sets.
4. A fourth-round comeback after losing the first set.
5. Thursday’s straight-set win over the fourth seed.

That is seven straight wins in about two weeks. Lindqvist admitted after the match that she is tired but said the adrenaline had kept her going. She has not lost a set since the second round.

Life in qualifying is not glamorous. Lindqvist spent much of the past year playing smaller events in places like Charleston, Tulsa and Fresno, often for prize money that barely covered her flights. She and her mother drove between tournaments when they could, ate many of their meals from grocery stores and practiced on whatever courts were open. She said those weeks taught her how to win ugly, on bad days and in bad conditions, and that the lessons have paid off here.

A coach who still strings the rackets

Her coach, as always, is her mother, a former college player who still strings her rackets. Karen Lindqvist played four years of college tennis in the Midwest and later taught lessons at a public park near the family’s home outside Minneapolis. She started hitting with Grace on those same courts when her daughter was small enough to need a junior racket.

Over the years, the arrangement has drawn questions. Many young players switch to professional coaches with long résumés as soon as they can afford them. Lindqvist has never wanted to. She says her mother knows her game better than anyone and understands when to push and when to back off. The two travel together to most tournaments, often sharing a hotel room to save money.

Karen Lindqvist has also kept the family’s approach simple. She does most of the scouting herself, watching video of opponents late at night in the hotel. She strings her daughter’s rackets by hand, a habit she has kept for more than a decade, and she insists on a short walk together before every match.

My mom told me to hit it where they aren’t. It turns out that’s still good advice.

Grace Lindqvist

In a brief interview after the match, Karen Lindqvist said she was proud but not surprised. She said her daughter had been playing well in practice for months and had only needed a little confidence and a bit of luck with her health. She added, with a smile, that she was already thinking about the semifinal.

What the run means

The semifinal run will change Lindqvist’s career in several ways. Her ranking is expected to jump into the top 60 when the new list is released next week, which means she will no longer need to play qualifying at most major events. That alone gives her more time to rest and prepare.

The prize money matters too. Players outside the top 100 often struggle to cover the costs of travel, coaching and equipment. Lindqvist said earlier this year that she had considered taking a break from the tour to work as a teaching professional. The money she has earned in two weeks is more than she had made in her entire career before this tournament.

She has also drawn new fans. Ticket sales for her semifinal have been strong, and organizers moved her match to the main court in prime time. Local news stations in Minnesota have covered her run every night, and her old high school has been hosting watch parties in the gym.

Key takeaway: Lindqvist’s run is a reminder that the gap between a qualifier and a top player can be smaller than the rankings suggest, especially with a smart game plan and a calm mind.

The semifinal and beyond

Lindqvist will face the second seed on Saturday, a former champion with one of the most powerful forehands in women’s tennis. On paper, it is a huge mismatch. The second seed has won both of their previous meetings, though both came more than two years ago, when Lindqvist was still finding her way on the tour.

Lindqvist said she plans to stick with the same approach that has brought her this far: varying the pace, staying patient and trying not to give away easy points. She said she would spend Friday resting, hitting lightly with her mother and watching some old film. She also plans to go out for pizza with her family, as she has done after every win this week.

Whatever happens on Saturday, the run has already shown what is possible. Lindqvist arrived as an unknown qualifier with a mother for a coach and a few rackets strung at the kitchen table. She leaves as one of the stories of the season. Follow the semifinal live on our scoreboard, with point-by-point updates and analysis in our Game Center.