Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka easily advanced to the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, defeating her second consecutive teenage qualifier.
The powerful Belarusian second seed was not at her vintage best on Rod Laver Arena, but she nevertheless defeated 16-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-3, 6-2.
Sabalenka has yet to face a major challenge as she seeks to become the first woman to successfully defend her Melbourne title since Victoria Azarenka in 2013.
Her first-round opponent, Ella Seidel, was also a qualifier and lasted just 53 minutes, with the world number two losing only one game.
Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic fought harder, keeping the 25-year-old on the court for 67 minutes before succumbing to defeat.
“For someone 16 years old she is doing an incredible job. I mean, I wish I was on her level when I was 16,” said Sabalenka. “She is an unbelievable player. She’ll be at the top very soon.”
“I’m super-happy with the win,” she added. “I just tried to focus on myself and not anything else, and just tried to fight for every point.”
The odds were always stacked against Fruhvirtova, who has never defeated a top-10 player and is ranked more than 100 places lower than her opponent.
In only her third Grand Slam main draw, she tested Sabalenka’s opening service, gaining a break point, but it was saved, and the Belarusian replied by breaking the Czech at the first opportunity.
The brave kid remained unfazed, and with Sabalenka’s serve misfiring, she earned three more break points in the next game, this time capitalizing with a forehand down the line.
But the second seed regrouped and pressed, collecting another break for 5-3 and serving out the set.
Fruhvirtova was broken again early in the second set as Sabalenka began to impose herself, and there was no coming back as the Grand Slam champion got into her groove.
Sabalenka experienced a breakthrough in 2023. In addition to winning the Australian Open, she reached the semi-finals in Paris and Wimbledon before losing to Coco Gauff in the final of the US Open.
She will next face Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko or Spain’s Rebeka Masarova.