CAPE TOWN, October 28, 2021 (Tennis South Africa Press Release)
The victorious top seeds Brenda Fruhvirtova from the Czech Republic and Leo Borg of Sweden headlined the second-round action on Wednesday at the Samaai Junior Open, the ITF Junior Grade A tournament, which is underway at the Kelvin Grove Sports Complex in Newlands, Cape Town.
Both Fruhvirtova and Borg earned straight-set wins to advance to the quarterfinal round on Thursday. The 14-year-old Fruhvirtova, who incredibly is ranked No 8 on the ITF Junior (Under-18) world rankings, breezed to a 6-3 6-1 win over 17-year-old Tatyana Nikolenko of Kazakhstan.
Fruhvirtova was always in control even when her shots were predictable. She showed remarkable control and struck the ball into the corners with utmost ease. Fruhvirtova is a joy to watch and has attracted a fair amount of attention since the tournament started on Monday.
Top seed Brenda Fruhvirtova has powered her way into the quarterfinal round at the Samaai Junior Open with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over American Qavia Lopez.
Russian seventh-seed Yaroslava Bartashevich awaits in the next round.#SamaaiJuniorOpen pic.twitter.com/ud9DrwneW4
— Tennis South Africa (@TennisSA) October 27, 2021
On the neighbouring court, Borg, son of tennis legend Björn Borg, the 11-time Grand Slam winner, also enjoyed a fair share of the spotlight with his father sitting courtside. He won 7-5 6-3 against unseeded Patrick Schoen, a promising Swiss junior.
In the tight first set, Borg played well within himself. He unleashed heavy groundstrokes and an expansive array of shots which drew fair applause from the appreciative fans.
On occasions, Borg tossed in helpings of topspin, one of his father’s lethal weapons back in the day.
Early afternoon play was halted by an unexpected downpour. When play continued after the interruption, the two remaining South African boys in the main draw bowed out of the competition.
The Paarl Boys High matriculant William Zulch, a wild card, rushed from the exam room earlier to play his match. He found the going uphill and lost 6-0 6-4 to the fifth-seeded Sebastian Dominko from Slovenia.
On an adjacent court, his mate Luc Koenig put up a gallant fight in an all-African contest. In the end, Koenig surrendered 4-6 7-6(5) 5-7 to Yassine Dlimi of Morocco.
The quarterfinals will be played at the Kelvin Grove Sports complex on Thursday.
