Tereza Valentova: The Rising Star at the Prague Open

July 23, 2025: This year’s Prague Open is showcasing an extraordinary display of Czech tennis talent, with Tereza Valentova emerging as one of its most exciting figures. Eleven Czech players, including five direct entrants, two qualifiers, and four wild cards, started in the 32-player main draw. This marks the second-highest number of Czechs in a tour-level event’s main draw in the Open Era, surpassed only by the 2023 Roland Garros, a 128-player draw that featured 12 Czechs.

Even more impressively, eight of these 11 Czech players won their opening matches, meaning half of the last 16 competitors are Czech players, an Open Era record for a tour-level event. The previous record of seven Czechs in the Round of 16 was also set at Prague in 2015 and 2016. Remarkably, of the three Czech first-round losses, two were in all-Czech matchups, meaning only one Czech player, qualifier Jesika Maleckova, was defeated by a non-Czech opponent.

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While only two Czech players in the draw are seeded—No. 1 Linda Noskova (2023 finalist) and No. 5 Marie Bouzkova (2022 champion)—the strong showing highlights the nation’s burgeoning talent. Six of the Czech players are 21 or under. This includes Noskova, currently at a career-high ranking of No. 23 after reaching the Wimbledon fourth round, and 18-year-old Tereza Valentova, the 2024 Roland Garros junior champion, who has recently won two WTA 125 titles and is now ranked No. 106. Former junior No. 1 Lucie Havlickova, 20, is also making a strong comeback after a 15-month sideline. Dominika Salkova, 21, reached the second round of Prague for the third time, while Barbora Palicova, also 21, secured her first career WTA main-draw victory. Nineteen-year-old Sara Bejlek made a successful return after an injury layoff. Holding it down for the more experienced generation is 29-year-old Katerina Siniakova.

The youngest Czech in the draw, 17-year-old Alena Kovackova, also had a career-best tournament, qualifying for her first WTA main draw. Her 15-year-old sister, Jana Kovackova, a junior No. 9, also received a qualifying wild card and put up a strong fight in her first-round match.

Looking ahead, more records could be broken. Seven Czechs could potentially make the quarterfinals, surpassing the current record of six set at Prague in 2015. With at least one home player in each quarter, an all-Czech semifinal slate on Friday is a distinct possibility. Since 1993, there have been eight all-Czech WTA finals, with the most recent being Siniakova’s victory over Bouzkova at Nanchang 2023.