Every few years, without fail, a new group of young players emerges ready to consolidate the Czech Republic’s reputation as one of the dominant nations in women’s tennis. The process is unfolding once more. On Saturday, the 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova reached the fourth round of a grand slam tournament for the first time, defeating Marketa Vondrousova, a former Czech prodigy herself, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 to advance.
As both players struggled with physical problems in the final stages of a dramatic encounter, Fruhvirtova sealed victory by playing clear and focused tennis in the decisive moments as she recovered from a break down in the third set.
