17-year-old sensation Fruhvirtova advances to 4th round at Australian Open
WTA
Linda Fruhvirtova is only 17 years old, and she's playing only in her second major, but she has already made it to the fourth round.
The teenager entered the 2023 Australian Open as the WTA World No. 82 player, but she might soon enter the Top 50 of the WTA Rankings, thanks to her performances.
Before taking on her compatriot, Marketa Vondrousova, in the third round, Fruhvirtova defeated Australians Jaimee Fourlis and Kimberly Birrell in the first two rounds.
Only a few months ago, the young Czech won her first WTA title in Chennai, and now she's making her mark also at a Grand Slam event, after starting the season with a loss to Emma Raducanu in Auckland.
The match between the World No. 82 and No. 86 players started better for the younger of the two as Fruhvirtova jumped into a 2-0 lead. She soon lost her advantage but broke Vondrousova again to lead 4-2.
But the former Roland Garros finalist won three consecutive games to make it 5-4 and serve for the set. Vondrousova was only two points away from taking the first set, but eventually, Fruhvirtova won the remaining three games to win the first set 7-5.
The more experienced player fought back in the second set. Vondrousova didn't allow her opponent to have any break points, and after stealing her serve twice, she leveled the score at 1 set each, winning the second set 6-2.
The third set started better for Vondrousova again, as she got an early break and led 3-1. Moreover, she had another break point, to increase her advantage.
Yet, she couldn't use it, and Fruhvirtova would go on to win 18 out of the last 22 rallies and win the match 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in two hours and ten minutes to book the fourth-round meeting with Donna Vekic.
