15-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova qualifies for Australian Open 2023 main draw
15-year-old Czech prodigy Brenda Fruhvirtova etched her name in the history books on Thursday (January 12) by becoming one of the youngest qualifiers ever to make it to the main draw of the Australian Open.
Fruhvirtova beat Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in her final qualifying round on Thursday, winning 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4. The Czech teenager had accounted for Natalija Kostic and Daria Snigur in her previous qualifying rounds.
At the age of 15 years and nine months, the World No. 135 has become the fifth-youngest qualifier to make the main draw of the Australian Open. Marta Kostyuk holds the record of the youngest qualifier to make the main draw at 15 years and five months and is followed by Sesil Karatantcheva, Maria Sharapova, and Lina Krasnoroutskaya.
To date, the youngest player to make it into the main draw of the Australian Open is Martina Hingis, who achieved the feat in 1995 at the age of 14 years and three months. Steffi Graf achieved the same feat at 14 years and five months in the 1983 edition of the tournament.
Brenda Fruhvirtova now joins older sister Linda Fruhvirtova in the main draw of the tournament. The 17-year-old Czech, who is the youngest player currently inside the world’s top 100, will face Melbourne local Jaimee Fourlis in her first-round fixture.
Both sisters have been training at the renowned Mouratoglou Academy in Southern France since 2017 and are considered amongst the Academy's brightest prospects. The younger of the two sisters has won eight titles on the ITF circuit to date, winning all of them last year, and all, on clay.
Brenda Fruhvirtova survived a close shave in her second qualifying round
Brenda Fruhvirtova pulled off a remarkable comeback in her second qualifying-round match against Daria Snigur on Wednesday. Snigur was the player to upset Simona Halep in the first round of the 2022 US Open.
The Czech, who eventually won 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3 after 2 hours and 14 minutes, once trailed by a set and 5-1. She was two points away from defeat on four occasions in the match.
Fruhvirtova, who made her WTA tour debut at the 2022 Abierto Zapopan, mounted a resolute comeback, armed with some imperious defensive strokes to nullify Snigur's wide range of shots.
In the end, Fruhvirtova pipped the Ukrainian by two points (104-102) to stay alive in the tournament. Little did she know that she would go on to create history the very next day.