Miami Open 2023: Petra Kvitova Wins Title, Defeats Elena Rybakina in Straight Sets
Posted : 12 April 2023
Petra Kvitova defeated Elena Rybakina in a convincing straight-set victory to win the Miami Open for the first time.
After a lengthy 30-point tie-break in the first set, Kvitova had little trouble in the second set and won 7-6 (16-14) 6-2.
In pursuit of the Sunshine Double after winning at Indian Wells last month, Wimbledon champion Rybakina's 13-match winning streak was snapped.
Kvitova, 33, a two-time Grand Slam champion, will return to the top 10 for the first time since September 2021 thanks to the 1,000 ranking points that came along with her triumph in addition to the $1.26 million (£1.02 million) in prize money.
"The tie-break, oh my god, it was probably the longest in my career and somehow I managed it," Kvitova said.
"She had so many aces at the beginning of the tie-break that I couldn't even play. So it was really difficult, and amazing."
The Czech Republic's Rybakina put up a masterful performance against the Kazakhstani player who has the most main-draw victories (21) on the WTA Tour this year, reaching the Miami final for the first time in 13 attempts and the 41st final of her career.
Rybakina, the seventh-ranked player in the world, was unable to answer, and her attempt to become just the sixth woman to complete the Sunshine Double quickly failed.
Following an early break to take a 3-0 lead in the second set, Kvitova twice held serve to love and broke Rybakina once more to win her ninth WTA 1000 championship and greatest triumph since Madrid in 2018.
ADD A COMMENT :
Hot Topics
User name is required Email Id is required Comment is required
ADD A COMMENT :