By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Continuing an inconceivable run, Storm Hunter realized her "impossible" dream.

The 29-year-old Aussie and accomplice Elise Mertens reached the WTA Finals doubles semifinals in Cancun final weekend clinching Hunter's historic rise to the world No. 1 doubles rating.

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The left-hander is the second Aussie lady in historical past to finsh as year-end doubles No. 1 following Samantha Stosur, her former doubles accomplice, in 2006.

How did Hunter have fun rising to the highest of the world?

She hopped on a airplane and flew to Seville to symbolize Australia in its Billie Jean King Cup opener. The fast turnaround has given Hunter little time to replicate on realizing her "impossible" dream.

"It's still, to be honest, hasn't really sunken in. It's crazy," Hunter advised the media in Seville on the BJK Cup Finals. "I honestly didn't think this would ever happen to me in my life. It was kind of a dream that just always was there but kind of seemed impossible, to be honest.

"Yeah, it is undoubtedly been a whirlwind few days."

Wearing the No. 1 next to her name, and Australia in her back, Hunter delivered partnering Kimberley Birrell in a 7-5, 6-7, 10-5 doubles win accounting for the green-and-gold's lone point in a 2-1 loss to Slovenia.

Hunter has been both the Storm and the calm clinching the year-end No. 1 and now hoping to help 2022 Billie Jean King Cup runner-up Australia back to the finals. 

"It's very thrilling, however I'm type of right here to deal with our workforce," Hunter said. "It's not about me this week. It's about getting Team Australia to do as finest as we are able to, in order that's one thing that, yeah, I'll have the ability to have fun as soon as we end right here. But for now it is simply doing my half for our workforce."

Hunter's dedication to the green-and-gold was evident in her packing for the flight from Cancun. Hunter correctly carried her racquets on board the flight so when the airline misplaced her baggage at the very least she was not disarmed.

"Bags didn't arrive, so that made it a bit tricky, but I had some racquets on me and I was prepared to play today," Hunter stated. "I had my outfit, my shoes, and mentally I was ready to go if our team needed that.

"Yeah, it was clearly, yeah, a fast turnaround, however for me, representing my nation is the best honor and truthfully probably the most wonderful factor I can ever do with my tennis profession. I need to be prepared and ready each time potential."

Australian captain Alicia Molik stated she believes in her gamers' willpower forward of Australia's do-or-die tie towards a Kazakhstan squad led by 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina.

"There isn't many gamers that will put their hand as much as play three-and-a-half hours after coming from a 17-hour journey to get themselves able to play. That's simply how eager our gamers are," Australian captain Alicia Molik said. "We all the time knew that will be the circumstance, , months in the past. So it wasn't a shock, really, that the gamers have come late. We type of really had been banking on it, that they'd carry out effectively on the Finals, as a result of that they had that type of 12 months. It type of got here to fruition, to be sincere."

Photo credit score: Billie Jean King Cup Facebook

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