16-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova scores maiden WTA 1000 level win in Miami

It was a good day for the Fruhvirtova family with both sisters winning their respective matches on the pro tour

Linda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic at the 2020 Prague Open WTA International Image Credit: Zuma / Panoramic

March 24, 2022

16-year-old Czech wild card Linda Fruhvirtova scored her first win at a WTA 1000 Series event with a straight-sets win over world No 66 Danka Kovinic, of Montenegro, in the first round of the WTA Miami Open on Wednesday.

Fruhvirtova, who is currently third in the world junior rankings and No 279 in the WTA world rankings, needed only one hour and 14 minutes for the comprehensive 6-0, 6-4 win over Kovinic, who has been as high as No 46 in the world and who defeated former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova en route to reaching the third round in Indian Wells last week.

A statement win by the 16-year-old wildcard 👊

Linda Fruhvirtova sets up a Round 2 match against Elise Mertens!#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/J1D3ZGAexh
— wta (@WTA) March 23, 2022

This was Fruhvirtova’s fourth WTA level victory, having defeated Frenchwoman 59th ranked Alize Cornet via retirement at the Charleston event last year. The Czech teen went on to reach the quarter-finals in Charleston and also won a round at the WTA 250 event in Cleveland last August.

Fruhuvirtova, who won an ITF $25K title in Mexico last month, next meets 20th seed Elise Mertens, who had a bye in the first round, in the round of 64 at Miami If she manages to pull off another upset, the 16-year-old could find herself in a battle against former world No 1 and three-time Miami Open champion Victoria Azarenka.

Younger sister Brenda joins Linda Fruhvirtova as winner on Wednesday

It was a good day for the Fruhvirtova family with younger sister Brenda Fruhvirotva, who is just 14, upsetting the seventh seed and 190th-ranked Jessika Ponchet 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the first round of the ITF $10K event in Le Havre, France.

The younger Fruhvirtova is ranked fourth in the junior world rankings and No 389 in the pro rankings. She won back-to-back ITF 25K title in Argentina earlier this year and will next meet another Frenchwoman Elsa Jacquemot in the second round.