Linda Fruhvirt, a new Top 200 member in Charleston, defeated Konjuh. Kvitova gave up

Linda Fruhvirtova made a successful debut in the prestigious WTA 1000 tournament in Miami last week, winning three consecutive matches at the WTA circuit, and thanks to three scalps, Danka Koviničová, Elisa Mertensová and Viktoria Azarenková, she reached the top 100 in the world rankings.

And today, the 16-year-old Czech has successfully started the clay part of the season. At the WTA 500 on green clay in Charleston, where she made her winning debut at the WTA 250 a year ago, she turned the match against Croatia Ana Konjuhova.

Fruhvirt, who starts in the main competition as in the previous tournament in Miami on the wild card, defeated the former world number twenty and currently 62, world player 4-6 6-1 6-3 and won the fourth of the last five fights against the members of the Top 100.

The Czech teenager lost her serve in the fifth gamma, then did not take two chances to break and did not save the introductory set. In the following, however, she did not face a single breakball. Fruhvirt played vigorously and did not let her 24-year-old opponent into the game.

The Croatian bought unforced errors and in the windy weather she stopped succeeding in serving. Fruhvirtová, on the other hand, was confident in the service, in the second and third sets she lost only twelve balls after serving, on the other hand, Konjuhová crowned the unsuccessful end with three double errors in the final game.

“The important thing was to quickly forget the first set, keep fighting and look for a way to win. And I’m glad I found him,” Fruhvirt said in an interview on the court. She was pleased with how smoothly she managed the transition from concrete in Miami.

“Green clay is very specific, so the transition from concrete is easier than directly to classic clay. I think this surface fits me, I like to play on it, so it was not a big problem for me,” she said.

Fruhvirt plays the main competition of the WTA tournament for the seventh time and started the fourth of the last five events with a victory. In the second round, he will not play until Wednesday with the Olympic winner Belinda Bencicová from Switzerland or the Chinese Xiyu Wang.

Petra Kvitová at the previous event in Miami, for the first time since last August, she won three consecutive matches and was eliminated in the quarterfinals, but in Charleston, she did not finish her first clay duel this year. The 32-year-old Czech gave up in a state of 6-7 and 2-3 due to an injury to the left thigh muscle of Polec Magdalena Fręchové.

Former world number two and two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitová missed the match for the seventh time in her career, the fourth since last March and the second in the season.

Putting in work @Petra_Kvitova | #CharlestonOpen pic.twitter.com/dOXx897iIP

– wta (@WTA) April 4, 2022

Fręchová, 24, will face s Kaiou Kanepiovou (h2h 0-0), which also won its opening match in this year’s fifth tournament. In Charleston, the 36-year-old Estonian defeated the 6-7 7-5 6-2 home team after three hours of fighting Shelby Rogersovouwhen from the state of 6-7 and 5-7 she won 10 of 12 gamma.

“It was a physically and mentally demanding match. I tried not to think about the situation and just keep fighting. I’m glad that I managed to turn the match around and secure another round,” said former world-fifteen Kanepi.

The third Czech representative Karolína Plíšková is the third to draw a free draw in the opening round. He will enter the competition with a match against a 22-year-old Ukrainian Katarina Zavackawhich against the Chinese Yue Yuan played only the second match this year and recorded its first win since last September.

A total of four Top 10 players, led by Aryna Sabalenková, will start in Charleston this year. The former champions in the competition are Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens and defending champion Veronika Kuděrmetov.