The Australian Window: Markéta Vondroušová knocked out the world number two! Karolína Plíšková and Linda Fruhvirtová also advance to the third round

The next day of play at the Australian Open brought advancement for all three Czech players. Karolína Plíšková, Linda Fruhvirtová and Markéta Vondroušová made it through to the third round and took a big scalp, beating one of the favourites to win the whole tournament.

A big match for Vondrousova

Markéta Vondroušová (86th) scored a huge success in the second round. She managed to beat one of the favourites of the whole tournament and the world number two in one person, Tunisian Ons Jabeur (2.).

Vondroušová completely dismantled her opponent in the first set. Jabeur was not at all successful both on the return and on her own serve. The Tunisian was unable to adapt to the Czech player’s style of play and the 23-year-old Czech was able to celebrate her victory in the first set in 25 minutes – 6::1.

Jabeur couldn’t calm down mentally, she was constantly shouting at her coach in the stands and Vondrousova was harassing her with her patient and accurate return game.

But in the second set the Tunisian got more into the match and took the lead 3: 1. Vondroušová managed to pull back to 3::4, but then she did not confirm the break and her opponent regained the lead and served for the set win at 5::4.

The native of Sokolov, however, worked hard and leveled at 5::5, but in the end the world number two came out victorious, winning the set 7::5.

In the third act, however, there was only one player on the court again. The Tunisian lost her serve and was unable to hold it even once. Vondroušová played fantastic and repeated the result from the first set – 6::1.

Markéta Vondroušová (86th) – Uns Jabeurová (2nd, Tunisia) – 2::1 (6-1, 5-7, 6-1)

Karolina Pliskova was giving away the canary

She is getting back to her lost form again. Karolina Pliskova (31st) advanced to the third round of the Australian Open in style. She beat Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva (47th) for the sixth time and also packed the proverbial canary for her trip home.

The Kazakh had no chance in the first set. Pliskova served well and took three more serves from her opponent on the return. The set lasted only 19 minutes and ended with a clear 6:0 result .

The second act was a bit more dramatic. The experienced Czech quickly took a 2:0 lead, but soon lost it and Putintseva, a native of Moscow representing Kazakhstan, turned it around to 4:3. But then the Czech player dominated again.

In the tenth game she had two match points on her racket, but she did not convert them yet. She managed to do it only in the twelfth game and could celebrate the overall victory – 7::5.

This is the eighth time that Pliskova will play in the third round of the Australian Grand Slam. She will face Russia’s Varvara Grachova (97th).

Julia Putintseva (47th, Kazakhstan) – Karolina Pliskova (31st) – 0::2 (0-6, 5-7)

A smooth progression for Linda Fruhvirtova

In her debut at the Australian Open, Czech hope Linda Fruhvirtova (82nd) reached the third round. The 17-year-old talent defeated home wild card Kimberly Birrell (167th) in two sets.

Fruhvirtova was in a tug-of-war with the home player for every ball in the beginning of the match and managed to take a 2:0 lead, but then saved four break points. But in the seventh game she was unable to do so and the talented Birrell had a chance to level the score.

But the 17-year-old Czech managed to regain the lead when she converted a break point in the eighth game and finished the first set 3:6.

In the second set, the older of the Fruhvirt sisters dominated the match, taking her opponent’s serve twice and after 45 minutes of the second set she could celebrate her progress to the third round – 2::6.

Kimberly Birrell (167th, Australia) -LindaFruhvirt (82nd) – 0::2 (3-6, 2-6)

Sources: Australian Open, Twitter