Nikola Bartunkova would have been counting her lucky stars after her match against Tina Smith during the second round of qualifying at AO 2026.
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Competing at her first senior Grand Slam – qualifying or main draw – the Czech youngster was unable to settle into the match. Nineteen unforced errors, including six double faults, saw Bartunkova drop the opening set 6-1.
However, a knee injury sustained while chasing a drop shot in the third game of the opening set hindered Smith, ultimately forcing the Australian to retire while down 5-2 in the second set.
From that moment on, Bartunkova has made the most of her reprieve.
The 19-year-old secured main-draw entry with a relentless 6-1 6-0 victory over American Whitney Osuigwe and didn’t stop there, recording upsets over former world No.8 Daria Kasatkina and current world No.10 Belinda Bencic to advance to the third round at Melbourne Park.
She became the youngest female to defeat two former or current top-10 players in her Slam debut since Anna Chakvetadze triumphed over Barbara Schett and Anastasia Myskina at the US Open in 2004.
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With an aggressive style of play, it’s no wonder Bartunkova has shaken up the draw. Drawing inspiration from her idols Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz, the Czech teenager likes to be unpredictable.
“Federer style, Alcaraz style,” she told WTATennis.com about who she tries to emulate with her variety on-court. “All the more aggressive players – that’s my inspiration since I was a kid.
“I like playing the volleys, the drop shots, everything, because I know that my opponents don’t like it much, so that’s why I play it.”
A former Wimbledon girls’ singles quarterfinalist and top-10 junior, this time last year, Bartunkova was ranked world No.493. Having not long returned from a six-month drug ban, Bartunkova was competing at an ITF W15 tournament in Oslo during AO 2025.
Dropping as low as world No.537 following that tournament, she won 28 of her next 40 matches to earn a wildcard into the Guadalajara Open in Mexico in September.
A semifinal berth, highlighted by victory over world No.30 Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals, gave Bartunkova the push she needed to secure a qualifying spot at AO 2026.
Now nearing her top-100 debut, sitting at world No.107 in the live WTA rankings as of Friday, Bartunkova faces 21st-seeded Belgian Elise Mertens in the third round on Saturday.
She is one of two Czech teenagers who will feature in the round of 32, with 18-year-old compatriot Tereza Valentova also enjoying a breakout run at Melbourne Park.
Valentova notched victories over No.30 seed Maya Joint and compatriot Linda Fruhvirtova to book a match with AO 2023 finalist Elena Rybakina on Saturday.
Should Bartunkova and Valentova upset their seeded opponents, they will lock horns for a place in the AO 2026 quarterfinals.