Lizette Cabrera, an Australian born to Filipino parents, hopes to make her presence known at the 2021 Australian Open when she faces a tough opening-round hurdle on Monday, Feb. 8.
The 23-year-old player, who was born in Townsville, Australia, earned a wildcard berth and is set to clash with second seed and two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep of Romania.
Cabrera has been playing in the pros since 2016 and debuted in the Women’s Tennis Association Tour in 2017. She is currently ranked No. 140 in the WTA and went on as high as No. 119 in February last year.
Cabrera’s parents, Ronnie and Dolly, were natives of Pampanga and Basilan. They moved and got married in Townsville in their mid-20s before leaving for Brisbane and working in abattoir to fund her tennis, where Cabrera has been playing since age four.
Cabrera has been competing in the Grand Slams since 2017, but never made it past the first round. She, however, has five International Tennis Federation (ITF) titles.
She seeks to surpass that this time and is determined to thread through the challenge.