Sister act: Coup as Czechs sign
Rising stars Linda and Brenda Fruhvirtova players of future
Auckland’s ASB Classic women’s tennis tournament has often attracted young players who have gone on to achieve great things. In recent years stars such as Bianca Andreescu, Naomi Osaka, world No 1 Iga Swiatek and Jelena Ostapenko graced centre court before going on to win Grand Slams.
New tournament director Nicolas Lamperin has continued the tradition of signing rising stars, and has pulled off a coup by securing Czech sisters Linda and Brenda Fruhvirtova.
Linda, 17, is ranked 77 in singles with her 15-year-old sibling Brenda ranked 128. They are part of a Czech revolution in women’s tennis, with nine Czech players in the top 100 on the WTA rankings, headed by two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
Lamperin confirmed the elder Fruhvirtova will get into the main draw with her ranking while her younger sibling will receive a main draw wildcard.
There is widespread belief among seasoned WTA Tour observers the Fruhvirtova sisters are destined to reach the elite. Linda captured her maiden WTA title in September, winning the Chennai Open in India.
She won her first WTA level match as a 15-year-old in Charleston, beating Australian Open quarter-finalist Alize Cornet. She also reached the fourth round at the Miami Open this year, beating two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka en route.
Brenda won five straight titles on the ITF pro circuit in August and September and eight titles in all this year. She is yet to play at WTA 250 level (Auckland’s level) but in accumulating a 51-win 9-loss record in 2022, she’s a player on the rise.
The sisters have trained at the Mouratoglou Academy in France and earlier this year Patrick Mouratoglou said Linda’s mentality and aggressive nature sets her apart.
“A lot of players say they want to become world No 1 but only some players believe it deep inside and Linda is one of them. She wins because she’s just stepping in, stepping in, hitting, hitting, hitting until you crack,” he said.
“She has one main quality, which is the mental side. She’s an incredible competitor. She’s an incredible fighter. I think mentally she has the full package.”
Brenda began the season ranked outside the top 1000 and climbed nearly 900 spots in the rankings. She has played the majority of her tennis on clay, notching 46 wins on the surface, and has played just seven matches on hard court.
Lamperin said there was some discussion with Brenda’s agent about whether they would give her a main draw wildcard.
“Whether she was ready to compete in her first WTA tournament — we all feel given what she’s achieved she deserves a wildcard.”
Lamperin confirmed the sisters will be among the early arrivals around Christmas Day for a full week of training before the tournament starts.
The sisters add to a quality lineup that so far includes world No 7 Coco Gauff, fellow American and former US Open champion Sloane Stephens, 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu and the player the Brit beat in that final, Canadian Leylah Fernandez.
The field is finalised next week.