Linda Noskova she has already scored two starts at the Grand Slams, but she did not follow up on the successfully completed three-round qualification at last year’s Roland Garros and US Open. She made her first appearance at the WTA 1000 tournament today in Indian Wells and sweetened her debut with a victory.
In California, the 18-year-old Czech managed to beat a better-ranked Romanian Irinou Beguovoou. She reacted to the loss of serve in the third game with an immediate rebreak and did not offer another break point to her 14-year-old opponent. In the tie-break of the first set, she deflected a set point and took the lead.
She dominated in the second set. In the first five games, she lost only six matches and at 5-0 she had three match points when her opponent was serving. She was unable to reach Kanárem Beguová, but in the following game she ended the duel with a clean game on her own serve and won 7-6 6-1 after an hour and a half.
The 54th player in the world, Nosková, who played her first final on the WTA circuit at the beginning of the season in Adelaide, Australia, improved her record this year to 11-4. In the second round, she will face home seed Amanda Anisimovová (h2h 0-0).
A win on her Indian Wells debut
18-year-old Linda Noskova defeats Begu 7-6(7), 6-1 to advance to Round 2 in #TennisParadise!
Face No.31 seed Anisimova next ➡️ pic.twitter.com/w2DrNbWZmP
— wta (@WTA) March 8, 2023
Linda Fruhvirtová managed her opening appearance at the fourth tournament in a row, even though she did not win a game in the second set in a row. She received the canary two weeks ago in Dubai from Latvian Jelena Ostapenko and also today at her premier in the main competition in Indian Wells from Majar Šarífové.
But the 17-year-old Czech was able to turn around the unfavorable development against her neighbor in the world rankings. In the third set, she erased the lack of a break and won the last four games over the Egyptian 0-6 6-2 6-3.
In the second round, the 53rd player in the world, Fruhvirtová, who works with the successful coach Sven Groneveld in California, will face the seeded Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina (h2h 0-0).
THAT is a comeback
17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova rallies for a 0-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Sherif!@BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/5c6BKd3c4y
— wta (@WTA) March 8, 2023
A total of nine Czech tennis players will compete in the women’s singles in Indian Wells. Three more Czechs await the first round on Thursday. Markéta Vondroušová will face the Canadian Rebecca Marinová, Karolína Muchová will play the Kazakh Julia Putintseva for a duel with the two-time champion Viktoria Azarenkova, and Kateřina Siniaková will initially face the German Jule Niemeierová.
The seeded quartet Petra Kvitová, the fresh champion from Dubai Barbora Krejčíková, Karolína Plíšková and Marie Bouzková have a free draw at the start.
World number one Iga Šwiateková from Poland defends her title in the Californian desert, in addition to Azarenková (2013 and 2016), Spain’s Paula Badosa (2021) and Canada’s Bianca Andreescu (2019) will be competing.
| • Singles – 1st round • |
| Nosková (Czech Republic) – Beguová (Romania) 7-6(7) 6-1 |
| L. Fruhvirtová (Czech Republic) – Sharif (Egypt) 0-6 6-2 6-3 |
| Blinková (-) – Liová (USA) 6-1 6-2 |
| Rodinová (-) – Cornetová (Fr.) 6-2 7-5 |
| Sasnovičová (-) – Kanepiová (Est.) 6-3 7-6(5) |
| Jastremská (Ukraine) – Bondárová (Germany) 6-3 6-4 |
| Xinyu Wang (China) – Mertens (Belg.) 6-3 6-1 |
