When Varvara Lepchenko was 15, she travelled from Uzbekistan to Florida to play in a junior competition and never went back home.
Eleven years on, after grafting on the lower rungs of the women's Tour, she is into the fourth round of the French Open and has already earned a place in this summer's Olympics.
The left-hander – who was awarded US citizenship in 2001 – beat former world No.1 Jelena Jankovic in round two and followed it up with a win over former champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy. Today she plays Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova for a place in the last eight.
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