Teenage rise: Tereza Valentova enters top 100 party– Joins Andreeva and Mboko in elite Gen-Z squad

Tereza Valentova reached her first WTA final this week at the Prague Open, securing a significant rise in the rankings to world No. 91. The teenager is currently the fourth player under 19 years old to break into the top 100, signaling a new generation for Czech tennis.

Born in 2007, Valentova belongs to the same generation as Mirra Andreeva (No. 6) and Victoria Mboko (No. 88). She is also just one spot behind 17-year-old Iva Jovic (No. 90), the youngest in the top 100. Valentova surprised Rebecca Sramkova (No. 34), the second seed, on her path to the final, leveraging her home-court advantage for a ranking boost.

Until recently, she competed in junior tournaments and has rapidly adapted to the professional level. In 2024, she won the French Open junior singles title (defeating compatriot Laura Samson in the final), and also claimed the doubles title with Slovakian Renata Jamrichova.

Valentova is starting to make a name for herself on the WTA Tour, despite only beginning to appear in Challenger tournaments this year. In June, she won her first WTA 125 title at the Citta di Grado Tennis Cup, and a month later, she triumphed at the Porto Open with another title in the same category.

Her clay-court prowess was already on display in the Roland Garros main draw this year. After successfully navigating the qualifying rounds – defeating local wildcard Chloe Paquet in her debut – Valentova showcased her mental strength. "I learned I can play against myself, against her and against a really, really big crowd at the same time," Valentova said in an interview with the WTA website.

"I was expecting she would have many people cheering for her, but I wasn't expecting that. There were guys from a football team and they were singing everything. When I was going for the towel, one guy was screaming at me from half a meter away. I didn't look at them, not even once. I was really proud of myself for that."

Valentova has been characterized by great mental strength, undoubtedly a key element for entering the top tier. In the second round of Wimbledon qualifying, she had to overcome a crowd fully supporting her opponent, 27-year-old Italian Lucrezia Stefanini, but she managed to turn around a difficult match 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

"I got angry... in a healthy way," she told Czech press. "At her, and at her team. I felt like there were some moments that were completely unnecessary. I needed to calm myself down, and get properly fired up. Balls started landing in, I calmed down, and started playing better."

She faced Coco Gauff in the second round, putting on an interesting performance, though it wasn't enough to threaten the dominance of the second seed (6-2, 6-4 for Gauff), who went on to win the tournament. Nevertheless, Valentova gained the experience of stepping onto Suzanne Lenglen Court, her first time in such a significant stadium.

"It showed me I can play with the top players, because I don't think I played my best and I was still keeping with her," Valentova said. "A lot of experience I can take to maybe another meeting with her." "In the first match I wasn't even nervous, because I was really confident in myself. That was the first time that ever happened to me."

Tereza Valentova now stands as part of a new generation of Czech tennis players who have seen significant ascent in recent seasons. Central European players have historically produced great players, and currently their most distinguished names include two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova, 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, French Open finalist Karolina Muchova, and doubles world No. 1 Katerina Siniakova – all aged between 27 and 29.

However, the Czechs have their succession secured, led by 20-year-old Linda Noskova – currently ranked No. 23. Valentova (18 years old, No. 91) is the newest name on a list that also includes Sara Bejlek (19 years old, No. 11), Linda Fruhvirtova (20 years old, No. 153), Barbora Palicova (21 years old, No. 170), Denisa Salkova (21 years old, No. 181), and Laura Samson (17 years old, No. 322).