Fernvale tennis ace on court with hero Victoria Azarenka
TENNIS fanatic Fernvale's Stephanie Taylor lived every fans dream when Victoria Azarenka personally invited her to sit in the player's box at the Brisbane International grand final.
Wearing Azarenka's headband and wristbands, nine-year-old Stephanie beamed as she recounted the day the former world No.1 brought her onto the court to hold the trophy after her 6-3, 6-1 win against Angelique Kerber on Saturday.
"Vicky has been my favourite player since I was little," she said.
"She's aggressive and has the same forehand and backhand as me."
The WestMAC student, who started playing tennis at the age of four, had been in the crowd the previous night for Azarenka's semi-final victory over Samantha Crawford.
"Everyone was cheering for her opponents and I was cheering on Vicky," she said.
"I went to get my ball signed and asked if she liked my cheering and she said it inspired her."
Stephanie's mother Chantal posted a photo on Instagram thanking Azarenka who replied and invited the pair to the grand final.
"People have been saying I was her good luck charm. When she won the finals she hugged her support team and asked if I'd like to go on centre court with her," Stephanie said.
"I said yes and got to hold the trophy, which was pretty heavy, sign the camera and throw her wristbands into the crowd.
"It's been a great summer holiday."
Stephanie hopes to hold the Brisbane International trophy again in a few years time, next time as the winner of the competition.