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Thea Prodin, who played young Serena Williams on film, to make US Open debut five years later
🇰🇷 South Korea /Sports

Thea Prodin, who played young Serena Williams on film, to make US Open debut five years later

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Thea Prodin, who appeared as Serena Williams’ tennis-playing double in the 2021 film “King Richard,” will make her US Open debut.
  • The 18-year-old American earned a wild card after winning the USTA Under-18 girls’ championship earlier this month.
  • Prodin will face Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the world No. 2, in the first round.

Five years after helping portray a young Serena Williams on screen, Thea Prodin is set to meet one of the sport’s toughest challenges in real life: a US Open first-round match against world No. 2 Elena Rybakina.

Prodin, 18, appeared in the tennis scenes of “King Richard,” the 2021 film about the upbringing of Venus and Serena Williams. Actress Demi Singleton played Serena, but Prodin stepped in to hit the balls during the tennis sequences.

The California native had already been a devoted fan of the Williams sisters before appearing in the film. She has not yet met either sister in person, but said, “It was an honor to portray a player I have always respected and admired.”

Prodin secured her place in the tournament by winning the United States Tennis Association’s under-18 girls’ championship earlier this month. That victory earned her a US Open wild card. She will now face Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women’s singles first round.

It was an honor to portray a player I have always respected and admired.

— Thea ProdinProdin described her experience portraying Serena Williams in the film.
About this summary

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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