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Australian Open defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has beaten teenage qualifier Brenda Fruhvirtova in the Australian Open second round.
Defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka says she had no plans of becoming the latest Australian Open contender to lose to a teenager after sealing progression to the third round.
Sabalenka overcame a tough first set to beat teenage qualifier Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-3 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena, mere hours after Russian teen star Mirra Andreeva demolished No.6 seed Ons Jabeur.
She will next face either Ukrainian 28th seed Lesia Tsurenko or Spaniard Rebeka Masarova.
The world No.2 was full of praise for 16-year-old Fruhvirtova, but insisted she had tried to avoid thinking about the Czech's age.
" For someone 16 years old, she's doing an incredible job," Sabalenka
"I wish I would be on this level when I was 16.
"She's an unbelievable player and I'm pretty sure if she keeps going, keeps working, she'll be at the top pretty soon.
"I'm super happy with the win, I just tried to focus on myself, not on anything else and I just tried to just fight for every point."
Sabalenka said she had been aware of former junior Open finalist Andreeva's shock win over Jabeur, but hadn't contemplated sharing the Tunisian's fate.
"That's crazy," Sabalenka said.
"My sister's actually (born in) 2009 - that's really crazy. She could be my sister.
"But I was just trying to not think about that much, I know Mirra is an incredible player, we've played a couple of times. She's another teenager who is definitely going to be in the top.
"I was just trying to keep focused on myself and just not let this young lady (Fruhvirtova) go to the next round."
Fruhvirtova, coached by two-time Olympic medallist Nicolas Massu, who previously worked with former men's finalist Dominic Thiem, fought bravely.
The young gun even broke Sabalenka's serve early in the opening set, before the champion rallied to take the ascendancy.
Sabalenka then reeled off the first four games of the second set to lay down the foundations for victory.
