Petra Kvitova well and truly back as she overcomes Elena Rybakina to win the Miami Masters title
Petra Kvitova reinvented herself to win the Miami Masters title after beating Elena Rybakina in straight sets.
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Petra Kvitova
Czech World No.12 Petra Kvitova has turned back the clock in the Miami Masters as she won the title at the age of 33. The battle against Kazhak World No.7 Elena Rybakina was intense in the first set but the second set was a one-woman show by the Czech. The Final score was 7-6 (16-14), 6-2. This was the 30th career title for Kvitova. With this title, she will also return inside the Top-10 for the first time since September 2021.
The odds were favoring the current Indian Wells Masters champion Rybakina before the final as she was in top-notch form and on a 13-match winning streak. But the 33-year-old had different plans for the night. Kvitova did not give any kind of rhythm to the Kazhak as she had a 76% first serve percentage against Rybakina’s 54%.
The Czech has now become the oldest Miami Open champion since Serena Williams in 2015. This is the 33-year-old’s 9th WTA-1000 title overall. The final was won by her using all her experience in place. The tie-breaker in the first set she won in 22 minutes and 28 seconds needed her to save 5 set points. She overcame the current Wimbledon champion’s spirits by hitting 18 winners against 11 unforced errors in the first set.
The epic first set and the way in which the tiebreaker won were enough to push the Kazhak off the charts in the second set. Kvitova started the second set by winning 3 games in a row. Though Rybakina saved a break point to avoid going behind 4 games, Kvitova continued the momentum to finish the set: 6-2.
Petro Kvitova’s journey to her first Miami Masters title
The 33-year-old Czech did everything right in this tournament and she will return to Top-10 after almost two years. The former World No. 2 got the better of Sorana Cirstea beating her 7-5, 6-4 to record her fourth straight-set win in five matches this week in Miami to move to the finals. Ekaterina Alexandrova was the only player to take a set off from the Czech girl as she has looked flawless otherwise.
Kvitova made it to the quarter-finals in Indian Wells a week back, before losing to Maria Sakkari in a close-fought three-setter. After a mixed run during this brief hardcourt season, the title in Miami was indeed a great way to cap off the first spell of the season before making her way to the clay courts.
Rybakina will be learning a lot from this loss. Kvitova clearly showed the Kazhak how to play the crucial points right, especially with the strong first serves and lesser number of unforced errors. As the tennis season makes its way to the clay courts, Kvitova’s rise back to the top will make things interesting.
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Vipul Payattuparambil
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