17-year-old Fruhvirtová and Plíšková lost only four games in Melbourne, Martincová did not surprise against the favorite

Linda Fruhvirtová at this time last year, she was at the very end of the third hundred ranking, but thanks to winning her first WTA tournament title, the round of 16 at the “thousands” in Miami and a successful debut at the US Open, where she reached the second round from qualification, she climbed into the Top 100 .

However, after the sensational triumph in Chennai in September, she stopped doing well. The 17-year-old Czech, who is the youngest winner of last year’s events on the highest circuit, was eliminated in the first round in Seoul, Monastir, Guadalajara and this year in Auckland.

She broke the streak only at her premiere at the Australian Open. The older of the talented sisters took advantage of the favorable lot and won 6-0 6-4 with Jaimee Fourlisovou. She initially dominated the court and won the opening eight games, but then started having problems on her serve and lastly held it at 2-2 in the second set. However, she continued to excel on the return and even the Australian did not win the game on serve.

“I think it was a good match from my point of view. I’m happy for the win, because the first round is always tricky. I’m glad I didn’t stay too long in that heat,” Fruhvirtová told Radiožurnál.

One of today’s most talented teenagers now has a big opportunity to improve on her Grand Slam high. In the second round, she will not face the seeded Kaia Kanepiová, but will surprisingly have a premiere fight with another domestic wild card Kimberly Birrellovou. At the same time, the currently 167th player in the world returned to stay in the match against the favored Estonian veteran.

Statistics of the match Fruhvirtová – Fourlisová

2019 – Linda Fruhvirtova is the youngest European player to win a Women’s Singles main draw match at the Australian Open since Iga Swiatek in 2019. Future.@WTA_insider @WTA | #AusOpen2023 #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/6IGC3eST5C

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 17, 2023

Karolina Plíšková she missed last year’s Australian summer due to a broken hand, started the season only in March, alternated worse and better seasons and ended the year with an unflattering 21-21 record and four defeats in a row.

The former world number one did not even prepare for the opening Grand Slam of the year, she finished in the first round in Adelaide after clear losses to Jelena Ostapenko and Danielle Collins, and at the second event she even had to qualify for the first time since August 2014.

At the Australian Open, she narrowly entered the seeds and the 2019 semi-finalist started her career with a clear 6-1 6-3 win over Xiyu Wang from China. The 30-year-old Czech kept a balanced ratio of winning shots and unforced errors under a cloudy roof (due to the heat), avoided a single break point and in just 64 minutes could celebrate her most dominant victory since September and only her third this year.

“The first round is never easy. I am satisfied with the way I played it and I am also happy with the result,” Plíšková wrote on twitter.

The native of Loun advanced to at least the third round in her last seven appearances at this venue. She is fighting to extend this series against Sorana Cirsteaová or Julia Putintseva.

Statistics of the match Pliskova – Wang

Former #1 Karolina Pliskova (now outside top 30) loved it today under the MCArena roof: 6-1, 6-3 over Wang Xiyu to reach the 2nd round of the #AusOpen.

Looked great!

Faces Cirstea or Putintseva next.

— Jose Morgado (@josemorgado) January 17, 2023

Tereza Martincová failed to build on the 2021 season of life last year, during which she debuted in the Top 100 and which took her all the way to the Top 40 less than a year ago. She looked past the second round in only four of 25 tournaments, and the furthest she went was the semifinals in Nottingham.

He is having an even worse start to the new tennis year this year. After Auckland and Hobart, she crashed in the first round also at the Australian Open, where she debuted in the main stage last year and scored one win. Unlike the generals, she had a very difficult draw, at the start of Tuesday’s program she lost 1-6 4-6 to this year’s undefeated world five in the Rod Laver Arena Aryna Sabalenková.

The native of Prague did not use any of the four break points in the third game (she had three in a row), then she lost her serve and did not win a single game in the opening act. Also in the second set, she could have been the first to take the break lead, but she didn’t even convert the fifth opportunity, she again hesitated to serve and tried in vain to make up for the lack of a break.

“Aryna dictates the game a lot. She has an excellent serve, goes for returns and wants to have maximum pressure from the first three balls. She doesn’t want to let you play at all, she risks everything and overall it’s a lot about her. In the first set, unfortunately, I missed my return by a few centimeters. I need to get into a rhythm, which (Sabalenková) did not allow me,” said Martincová the Tennis World website.

Sabalenkova, who won her first title since May 2021 at one of the heavily contested generals in Adelaide and is among the main contenders for the title at Melbourne Park this year, will meet Shelby Rogers in the second round. She won with the American both previous encounters.

Statistics of the match Martincová – Sabalenková

Sealed with a kiss @SabalenkaA starts her fortnight with a 6-1 6-4 win over Martincova.#AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/GppsnGZiBf

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 17, 2023

It wasn’t until an hour before midnight that she played her opening match Markéta Vondroušováwhich faces an American Alison Riske-Amritraj.

If Vondroušová manages to enter the Australian Open for the fifth time in her career, she will challenge the world number two Ons Jabúrová. The finalist of the last two Grand Slams, who missed Melbourne last year due to injury, started with a hard-fought 7-6 4-6 6-1 win over the Slovenian Tamara Zidanšeková.

“It was a really difficult match. I haven’t played well for a long time and she was putting me under pressure. Tamara is a player who doesn’t just give up in a change. She can return every ball and I was quite frustrated at certain moments,” admitted Džabúrová.

“But even though I didn’t win the second set, I wanted to prove why I’m world number two. Most of all, I had to start following the coach’s instructions, which sometimes isn’t easy at all. I needed to be more patient and not make so many mistakes. I think I played pretty well in the end.” added the 28-year-old Tunisian.

So far, five Czechs have reached the 2nd round, they already advanced yesterday Petra Kvitová, Barbora Krejčíková and Karolína Muchová.