Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) won the title of the WTA 1000 Miami Open after defeating on the final Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) by 2-0 (7:6, 6:2). Thus, the Czech player won her first title in Miami and the first in the WTA 1000 category in five years, while for the Kazakhstani player, this was the end of the 11-match winning streak and the chance to win a second Masters’ title this season.
The match started dynamically, with both tennis players trying to impose their pace of play. Petra Kvitova had a powerful serve, and Elena Rybakina did not owe her by recording several aces. So it was 4:4 in the first set when the world number seven’s serve collapsed and the Czech veteran got the chance to serve to win the set. However, nerves prevailed and in the end the set had to be decided by a tiebreak.
There was great drama in it, as Elena Rybakina lost as many as five set points and her opponent punished her for the missed chances, leading with 15:14 points. In the following game, Petra Kvitova forced her opponent to make an unforced error to close out the set.
This gave momentum to the game of the Czech tennis player, who recorded seven points in a row in the second set. The 33-year-old Petra Kvitova continued to dominate after that and took a 3:0 lead, bringing her closer to victory. Her opponent temporarily recovered and reduced the score, but she did not have the strength to reverse and, after leading in the eighth game, she allowed herself to be reversed and eventually lost it. Thus, Petra Kvitova won the set by 6:2 and the match by 2-0.
Petra Kvitova now has won her 30th career singles title, including two major titles at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. She also won a bronze medal in singles while representing the Czech Republic at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Her career-high ranking of world No 2 was achieved on October 31, 2011.
