Much may have happened in the meantime including the suspension of professional tennis due to the spread of coronavirus, but Renata Zarazua still affords herself a smile of satisfaction when recalling her heroics at last month’s Mexican Open.

Home favourite Zarazua became the first Mexican since 1993 to reach the semi-finals of a WTA Tour event when, as a wild card, she progressed to the last four in Acapulco.

Furthermore, her march to the semi-finals included a career-best first-round victory over world No. 37, 2017 US Open champion and No. 1 seed for the tournament – an event she won in 2016 – Sloane Stephens in front of a partisan crowd.

Zarazua’s procession was ultimately halted by Canada’s Leylah Annie Fernandez – a Junior Grand Slam winner at Roland Garros in 2019 – but, nevertheless, the 22-year-old, who is ranked No. 191 in the world, is happy to revel in her history-making achievements.

“It was the best week of my life,” Zarazua told itftennis.com.

“Making the semi-finals of a WTA International 250K tournament for the first time was special, and even more so because the crowd and people were always cheering for me and I played my best tennis in my own country.

“I was also travelling with my brother [Patricio] and it was his first time coaching me at a tournament, so that made it even more special.”

There have been many contributing factors to Zarazua’s on-court progress, principally her skill, technical ability, hard work and dedication, while financial assistance has been forthcoming in the form of Grand Slam Player Grants.

Financed by the Grand Slam Development Fund, the grants were introduced in 2017 when an initial $650,000 was distributed to 14 players from 12 countries as a contribution towards their competition-related costs.

The overriding aim of the scheme is to help talented individuals, who meet specific age, ranking and regional representation criteria and show exceptional potential, develop as professional players and compete at Grand Slam tournaments.

The Grand Slam Development Fund itself was established in 1986 and has contributed more than $50m to tennis development since its inception. Zarazua has been the recipient of a Grand Slam Player Grant each year since 2017, which equates to financial assistance totalling $87,500.

“When I first learned about the Grand Slam Development Fund through the Mexican Tennis Federation and COTECC (Confederation of Tennis of Central America and Caribbean), I was so happy and emotional, and just very thankful and motivated to be a part of it,” said Zarazua.

“The financial assistance has been very helpful. I have been able to cover my expenses when I travel and I can always have my coach, or my mum or dad, with me as opposed to travelling alone. This makes a huge difference and is motivation for me to keep working hard and to get better results.

“Being able to travel with my team is so important, and we can make better choices when it comes to planning trips. Before, the first consideration was always the budget. The assistance has meant less travelling and fewer decisions based on money.

“Not having to think about money so much has allowed me to focus on my game. I don’t think it is a coincidence that I have been at my highest ranking these past few years.”

Describing herself as “very easy going off court but a changed character on it”, Zarazua, who is also a keen golfer, began playing tennis at the age of six and there is a rich sporting heritage within her family.

Renata’s great-uncle, Vicente Zarazua, won demonstration and exhibition men’s doubles tournaments alongside fellow countryman Rafael Osuna at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City and played 16 Davis Cup ties for his country between 1964 and 1975.

Representing her nation is a priority for Renata also, having chalked up 14 Fed Cup appearances, while her overriding aim for the season once the calendar has been reinstated is to break into the Top 100. In essence, she is keen to make defeats of players like Stephens the rule rather than the exception.

“It has been a long road with ups and downs and I have taken a lot of experience from past tournaments and trips,” she added. “I’m always motivated to keep improving, and that’s what brought me to this time where I feel that I’m at my best.

“I have been the No. 1 player in Mexico for the past years so that is a big thing for me to keep pushing and moving forward. The goal in my mind is to be Top 100 and I would like to finish the year like that.

“I want to also qualify for the Grand Slams because that is where you want to be playing and have your best results, but my main goal is to keep working and improve every week no matter what.”