Now established inside the world’s top 15, Linda Noskova is showing once again that Melbourne Park is her happy place.
The Czech youngster, a prodigious junior, took a significant step in her tennis journey at Australian Open 2024 when she charged into the quarterfinals and claimed a statement victory over then-world No.1 Iga Swiatek along the way.
That campaign marked a defining moment, showcasing her power, composure and ability to stay calm on the world’s biggest stages. And now, two years on, she looks to be recapturing similar form.
Coming into this year’s Australian Open, Noskova was motivated to push after exiting in the first round in 2025 and has returned to the event tactically sharper, and physically and mentally stronger.
Following her second-round win against fellow youngster Taylah Preston of Australia, Noskova discussed her evolution. “Everything changes – I’ve changed a lot. I definitely have a lot more experience, but at the same time there are very different challenges that I have this year, so it’s kind of the main thing for me to adjust to everything that comes my way,” she explained after her 6-2 4-6 6-2 win over the Aussie wildcard.
“I had great chances at the beginning of the second set to break [Preston] a little… but ultimately I wasted that, so that was probably the main mistake and why I lost the second set. Obviously the fans were behind my opponent. It was obvious it was going to be like that… It was tough in some ways, but I don’t think it affected the game.”
Noskova views such challenging moments as part of her ongoing learning as she approaches Saturday’s third-round clash against Wang Xinyu, where a win would propel her back into the second week at Melbourne Park.
“I’ll probably learn from this, in such difficult, really unexpected matches with those main conditions, to take advantage of those chances, whether it was at the beginning of the second set, or sometimes in the end of the game,” said Noskova, who also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year.
From the small town of Vsetin in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic, Noskova, now 21, grew up in a sports-centric family and first picked up tennis at six years old, introduced to the sport by her father.
Early promise at her local club soon became hard to dismiss, prompting a move for her family to Prerov to give her the best access to stronger coaching and higher-level competitions. Those early family sacrifices quickly paid off – Noskova announced herself on the international stage as a junior, capturing the girls' single title at Roland Garros in 2021 and cracking the world’s junior top five.
Her breakthrough at a senior level came quickly; in 2022 she posted a maiden WTA semifinal run at the Prague Open, a result propelling Noskova into the WTA Top 100.
The following season delivered another major step forwards, after fighting her way through qualifying at the Adelaide International, Noskova reached first WTA final, defeating Ons Jabeur, Victoria Azarenka and Daria Kasatkina along the way before falling to Aryna Sabalenka in the championship match.
In 2024, she secured her first WTA singles title at the Monterrey Open, another milestone moment in her rapidly developing career.
Although this remains her sole WTA trophy to date, Noskova’s trajectory suggests more to come. Widely regarded as one of the most exciting young players on tour – and one of a number of rising stars from her country – the powerful Czech is frequently tipped as a future Grand Slam champion.
She began this season with a second-round loss at the Brisbane International, but now that she’s back in Melbourne, she’s thriving again.
The 21-year-old’s tennis journey may still be unfolding, yet fans at Australian Open 2026 may be witnessing the next step in a career destined for the sport’s biggest stages.