Czech 17-year-old rising star Linda Fruhvirtova won the first of her career at the Madrid Mutua Open, beating US Katie Volynets 6-3 7-5 in 1 hour and 43 minutes in the first round of the Madrid Mutua Open.
Fruhvirtova converted four of her seven break points. She hit 15 winners and had 11 unforced errors less than Volynets.
Volynets earned an early break to open up a 2-0 lead. Fruhvirtova reeled off four consecutive games to take a 4-2 lead. Volynets pulled back on serve at 4-3, but Fruhvirtova earned a break at love in the ninth game and held serve to win the first set 6-3.
Both players went on serve with no breaks of serve until 5-5. Fruhvirtova earned the first break in the 11th game after a long rally and closed out the match with an ace. Fruhvirtova lost to Kaia Kanepi in the first round at last year’s edition of the Madrid Mutua Open.
Fruhvirtova set up a second round match against 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Ostapenko beat Fruhvirtova 6-2 6-0 in their only previous head-to-head match in Dubai last February.
Fruhvirtova, who turns 18 on 1 May, is the youngest player ranked in the top 100. She claimed her first first title in Chennai last January.
Maryna Zanevska eased past 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-0 6-3 in 58 minutes. Zanevska hit 19 winners to just seven unforced errors. She avenged her recent defeat against Kenin, who had won their only previous head-to-head match in Hobart last January.
Zanevska set up a second round match against Liudmila Samsonova.
The winner of match between Samsonova and Zanevska will face either Ostapenko or Fruhvirtova.
Elisabetta Cocciaretto beat Barbora Strycova 6-3 7-6 (7-5). Former world number 16 Strycova was playing her first match since her maternity leave.
Strycova saved a total of four break point in the first and fifth games of the first set. Cocciaretto reeled off six consecutive games with three breaks in a row to build up a 6-3 2-0 lead. Strycova broke straight back and held serve after saving a break point to draw level to 2-2. Cocciaretto broke again in the sixth game to open up a 5-2 lead. Strycova broke back in the 10th game after two double faults from Cocciaretto and held her service to draw level to 5-5. Strycova went up a mini-break twice in the tie-break to take a 3-1 lead, but Cocciaretto pulled back on serve and won her fifth game to earn three match points at 6-3 with her third mini-break and closed out the win on her third match point after Strycova made a forehand error.
