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Linda Fruhvirtova, 16, said forgetting the first set and continuing to fight was one of the keys to her upset win over former world No. 20 Ana Konjuh. Fruhvirtova, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 188 following her Miami round-of-16 appearance, recovered from a set down on Monday to beat Konjuh 4-6 6-1 6-3 in the Charleston first round.
Fruhvirtova is having her debut appearance in Charleston and she is already enjoying playing on the green clay. "It was important for me to forget the first set, keep fighting, keep trying to find a way to win, and I'm glad I found a way," Fruhvirtova said, per the WTA Tour website.
"The green clay is very specific and I think the transition is easier from hard court to green clay than straight to red clay. I think the surface fits me and I like to play on green clay."
Fruhvirtova impressively recovered after losing the first set
Konjuh made a positive start to the match as she broke Fruhvirtova in the fifth game and then held on to her serve the rest of the set to win the opener.
After losing the first set, Fruhvirtova claimed her first break of the match in the second game of the second set. It didn't take long for Fruhvirtova to earn her second break as she broke Konjuh again in the sixth game and served out for the set in the seventh game.
Then, Fruhvirtova broke Konjuh in the third and ninth games of the third set to complete a comeback win. "These are the matches and the moments I've always worked hard for, and it's a great motivation to keep working hard and believing, and I'm enjoying it," FruhvirtovaA said.
"I'm really honored that I got to play the first match here in this beautiful stadium in this beautiful city. It's a very special place for me, and I'm so happy to get this opportunity." Fruhvirtova plays next the winner of the match between Belinda Bencic and Xiyu Wang.