Linda Fruhvirtova, just 17, reaches round of 16 at Australian Open

Things happen quickly in pro tennis. One moment, Linda Fruhvirtova is down a break in the third set against compatriot Marketa Vondrousova. The next, Fruhvirtova wins her fifth straight game, putting herself in the round of 16 at the Australian Open.

And keep in mind, Fruhvirtova is just 17 years old and playing in just her second Grand Slam tournament. That was quick.

The teenager's play early on signaled that something special might be afoot. Fruhvirtova was steady, rather than flashy, but that was significant given her lack of experience at this level. Even more impressive was her bounce back from a quick second-set loss and an early deficit in the decider. But aided by a Vondrousova leg injury, Fruhvirtova—who took a timeout late in the third set—was given a reprieve. She cleaned up her game and kept Vondrousova on the move, not allowing her opponent, a former French Open finalist, to get into a groove with her battle-tested groundstrokes.

At one juncture, Fruhvirtova won 11 of 12 points, which earned her triple break point at 4-3. She broke serve two points later, and closed out this all-Czech affair with ease. Vondrousova couldn't hide her frustration, just as Fruhvirtova couldn't hide her excitement. In a wide-open bottom half of the draw, the youngster will face Donna Vekic for an unlikelt spot in the quarterfinals.

Fruhvirtova, who spends time at the Evert Tennis Academy with her sister, Brenda (watch their TenniStory video above), caught the eye of the Academy's namesake for TENNIS Magazine in 2021:

"I first laid eyes on the young Czech when she was practicing at my academy with proven pros ahead of the Miami Open. Comparisons can bring unfair expectations, but the way she held her own with her bruising ground strokes reminded me of Jennifer Capriati."

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, but as we saw today from Fruhvirtova, and last year from Carlos Alcaraz, and decades ago with Chris Evert, things happen quickly in pro tennis.