Teens Fruhvirtova, Noskova open Roland Garros qualifying with wins

Youth was served as Roland Garros qualifying started on Monday in Paris, with 17-year-old Czechs Linda Fruhvirtova and Linda Noskova opening the event with straight-sets wins.

The rising teenagers are two of the 128 players vying for 16 open spots in the main draw of the second Grand Slam of the year. The Roland Garros main draw kicks off on Sunday, May 22.

Fruhvirtova topped No.25 seed Katarzyna Kawa 6-0, 6-4 to begin the day in Paris. Playing her first Grand Slam qualifying match, Fruhvirtova took 1 hour and 11 minutes to ease past Kawa, winning 75 percent of Kawa's second-serve points.

Fruhvirtova had a breakthrough showing at WTA 1000 Miami earlier this year, where she upset Victoria Azarenka and Elise Mertens to become the youngest player to reach the Round of 16 at that event since 2004.

Fruhvirtova will next play Viktoria Kuzmova, who beat Jamie Loeb 7-6(5), 6-4. Kuzmova is a former Top 50 player who reached the third round of Roland Garros in 2019.

Noskova ousted No.11 seed Anna Blinkova, 6-3, 7-5 to join her compatriot Fruhvirtova in the second round. Noskova won the Junior Roland Garros singles title last year, and she picked up right where she left off in Paris by upsetting former World No.54 Blinkova.

Blinkova just reached the WTA 125 Saint-Malo final two weeks ago, but Noskova prevailed in their contest by converting five of her 11 break points in her first Grand Slam qualifying match.

Also on Day 1, clay-court expert Laura Siegemund eased into the second round with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Anastasia Zakharova. Former World No.27 Siegemund converted five of 11 break points as she won her 1-hour and 16-minute opener.

Siegemund, who is coming back from injury, was a Roland Garros quarterfinalist in 2020 and has won two Hologic WTA Tour singles titles on clay, including on home soil at WTA 500 Stuttgart in 2017.

Siegemund will next meet No.4 seed Wang Xiyu, who defeated Han Na-lae 7-5, 6-0.

2012 Roland Garros finalist Sara Errani also rolled into the second round, beating Jang Su-jeong 6-1, 6-2. Errani, who was runner-up to Maria Sharapova in Paris ten years ago, reached the quarterfinals or better for four straight years at the event (2012 through 2015).

Errani will meet No.14 seed Lesia Tsurenko in the second round. Former Top 25 player Tsurenko cruised past Emiliana Arango 6-0, 6-1 in 55 minutes.

In other Day 1 results, No.1 seed Anastasia Potapova clinched her first-round qualifying win over Renata Zarazua 6-2, 6-3. Potapova won her first career Hologic WTA Tour singles title last month on the clay in Istanbul.

Also, No.2 seed Jule Niemeier dismissed Alexandra Cadantu-Ignatik 6-1, 6-1, No.3 seed Zhu Lin beat Storm Sanders 6-4, 6-4, and No.6 seed Donna Vekic, a former Top 20 player, ousted Robin Anderson 6-4, 6-4.