Nearly a decade after winning the 2007 Junior US Open crown, Kristina Kucova made her long-awaited Top 100 debut after a career week at the Rogers Cup.

“I enjoyed every minute here in Montréal,” she told press after her semifinal match against Madison Keys. “I really like everybody here.

“I’m so happy about all week because it was the greatest week of my life so far. So I’m very happy.”

Making it through qualifying – where she took out Christina McHale just to reach the main draw – Kucova knocked out a pair of Top 20 opposition in Carla Suárez Navarro and Johanna Konta. In the round of 16, she stunned former World No.5 Eugenie Bouchard in front of her home crowd, recovering from a set down under the lights.

“They were all supporting Bouchard, but in the end I felt like I was winner over all these people. I don’t know, I felt very happy that moment. Also I was happy that I could beat her after what happened in Fed Cup. I’d lost to her before, so I was happy that I could win against her.”

Her run came to an end in the final four, but she nonetheless became the first qualifier to reach the semifinals since Zi Yan in 2007, a full circle moment for Kucova, who won the girl’s singles title at the US Open over Urszula Radwanska a few weeks after Zi’s run.

“It means a lot for me, this success, but it’s not only my success. It belongs to my whole family. Especially to my parents and to my sister which brings me to the tennis from very young age.

“I have many people now around which also this success belongs to them. I would like to just say thank you also for them.”

For all of those reasons, Kucova is your Breakthrough Player of the Month!

Final Results for July’s WTA Breakthrough Performance Of The Month

1. Kristina Kucova (49%)
2. Johanna Konta (34%)
3. Laura Siegemund (12%)
4. Viktorija Golubic (5%)

2016 Breakthrough Performance Of The Month Winners

January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko
March: Nicole Gibbs
April: Cagla Buyukakcay
May: Kiki Bertens
June: Elena Vesnina