Anna Fitzpatrick and Ana Veselinovic both made confident starts in the $25,000 Deza Trophy in the Czech Republic after reaching the second round in singles and doubles on Tuesday.

Fitzpatrick, who arrived in Valasske Mezirici having just been named as the LTA’s Female Junior Player of the Year, upset No. 8 seed Stanislava Hrozenska of Slovakia 6-4, 6-3 in her opening match, while Veselinovic followed up her two qualifying wins with a 7-6(3), 6-0 victory over Andrea Berkova in the main draw.

“There were a few points which would have made the match more comfortable if I had won them, but I felt in control all match and I had the momentum throughout,” said Fitzpatrick after defeating the World No. 245. “Hrozenska started to hit-out a bit more at the end, so it made it tougher for me to close out the match, but I played a very good service game at 5-3 in the second.”

The 18-year-old from Sheffield will now meet Magdalena Rybarikova for a place in the quarterfinals and MCTA Director of Coaching David Sammel believes this could be a big breakthrough for Fitzpatrick.

“Anna is beginning to realise what her game does to opponents and that she is a strong person,” said Sammel. “We have a player who can see what will be and it is exciting to watch.”

Veselinovic, who has adopted the Bjorn Borg approach of showing no emotion – positive or negative – after points and blowing on her fingers to help her breathe, has looked impressive in the Czech Republic.

The 19-year-old from Serbia, who defeated Barbora Matusova and Michaela Pochabova in straight sets in qualifying, maintained her form against Berkova to set up a second round clash against No. 2 seed Sandra Zahlavova.

“I’m surprised how well I’ve been adapting to the new strategy, even today was better than yesterday,” said Veselinovic.