Peter Kvitov. Geoff Burke
Czech Petra Kvitova won the final at the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami for the first time in her career.
Petra Kvitova, 12th in the world, won the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami for the first time in her career on Saturday, beating in the final 7-6 (16/14), 6-2 Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina (7th), deprived of a “Sunshine Double” after his victory in Indian Wells.
The 33-year-old Czech, double champion at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, won her ninth title in a tournament in this category, located just below the Grand Slams, five years after the previous one won in Madrid. Enough to re-enter the top 10 on Monday, according to the WTA projection.
She now has 30 trophies to her name for 41 finals played, a remarkable ratio which makes her the most successful player on the circuit still active behind the American Venus Williams (49).
Second oldest player to win in Miami, behind Serena Williams who was 166 days older when she was crowned in 2015, Kvitova had promised to “fight like a beautiful devil” to thwart the odds in favor of Rybakina, whose the momentum indeed seemed irresistible, a fortnight after his victory in Indian Wells and two months after his final, admittedly lost, at the Australian Open.
But the 23-year-old Kazakhstani, revealed by her triumph at Wimbledon last year, has evolved a tone below what she has offered in recent weeks, without detracting from her rival.
In the first set, the two players were very solid on their engagements, until 4-4, moment chosen by Kvitova to break the first. A very short-lived ascendancy because Rybakina, who is not the type to panic with her back to the wall – she saved a match point at the start of the tournament, before knocking down the Spaniard Paula Badosa -, immediately returned the the same.
The decision was made in the decisive game, also very tight, during which the unforced errors weighed more than the winning shots. And it was after 22 minutes and 30 disputed points that the Czech was a little less feverish, converting her fifth set point – the Kazakhstani wasted as many, despite five aces placed (12 in total) .
In the aftermath, Kvitova broke Rybakina at the start of the second set, a one-man preamble since her opponent slowed down, only creating an opportunity to unbreak, missed.
More solid and consistent, the Czech marks her return to the fore with this victory.