Walnut Creek’s Katie Volynets barely made the Australian Open field, but the 21-year-old already has left her mark in Melbourne. And she might be just getting started.

Volynets, ranked No. 113 in the world rankings, knocked off ninth-seeded Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 2-6 6-2 late Wednesday to become the first U.S. women’s qualifier to advance to the round of 32 at the event since Lindsay Davenport in 1993.

“I literally have the chills, because the fans here are just incredible,” Volynets told reporters after securing her first victory over a top-10 player. “I’ve never played in a stadium this packed and with that many people keeping the energy up for me. It was awesome.”

The Clayton Valley High graduate won the USTA Girls 18s National Championship in 2019, and now, less than four years later, she’s been part of the best start by U.S. players at the Australian Open in two decades.

Highlighted by Piedmont native Mackenzie “Mackie” McDonald’s second-round win over top-seeded Rafael Nadal and Volynets’ stunning upset, 13 American men and women reached the third round, the most at the event since 2004, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

“A lot of Americans are doing really well right now, and we’re all pushing each other,” said Sacramento’s Jenson Brooksby, who eliminated men’s No. 2 seed Casper Ruud in the second round in one of the few developments on Wednesday that could come close to Volynets defeating the No. 9 ranked player in the world, which is the biggest upset on the women’s side so far in the tournament.

Also gaining attention is Volynets’ last name, which couldn’t be more fitting for a tennis player.

Volynets was born in the Bay Area after her parents moved from Ukraine and, according to the WTA, also is fluent in Ukrainian and Russian. Asked how her family name should be pronounced, she said, “I’m going to stick to volley nets.” When pressed further if that was really how she pronounced it at home, she replied: “Now it is.”

No matter how Volynets pronounces her name, it suddenly has become a name to watch in women’s tennis. Next up for Volynets is No. 23 seed Shuai Zhang on Friday.

Volynets, who honed her tennis skills at the Moraga Country Club, is making just her sixth appearance at the Main Draw of a Grand Slam. She hadn’t even advanced out of the first round of a Grand Slam event until last year’s French Open, when she was eliminated in the second round. Volynets warmed up for her second Australian Open appearance by playing in the ASB Classic in New Zealand, where she qualified for the main draw and lost in the first round to Venus Williams in straight sets.

She’s been unbeaten in Melbourne, but it hasn’t been easy.

All three of Volynets’ qualifying victories went three sets — she lost the first set in her first qualifying match. She beat Evgeniya Rodina 6-3, 6-2 in her main draw opener before facing Kudermetova, who has been one of the most consistent players on the WTA circuit.

“Suddenly, you get match point and it’s like ‘wow I’ve got match point against the ninth seed’,” Volynets said following the match. “You just start going for it and let whatever happens happen.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.