Petra Kvitova completed a perfect week at the 2023 Berlin Open by beating Donna Vekic in the final of the WTA 500 event.
After her Miami triumph in April, the Czech player had a difficult period during the clay-court part of the season. She was forced to withdraw from the 2023 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and played only two matches during the clay-court season.
She lost both in straight sets, and after the Roland Garros exit, she refused to blame it on an injury. On the other hand, Vekic has been making steady progress recently, after revealing that she even considered quitting the sport.
In the second round of the tournament, the Croatian stunned reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, and that certainly gave her enough confidence. Both players then had to overcome a rain delay, but they handled that well, winning two matches on Saturday.
More experienced Kvitova started the final match better. The 33-year-old faced a break point in the fifth game of the opening set, but after saving that, she used two of her three chances to win the opening set 6-2.
Vekic was on her way to coming back in the second set. After securing an early break, the Croatian led throughout the set, serving to take the match into a decider at 5-4. But that wasn't enough for her.
The two-time Wimbledon champion broke back and force the second set into a tie-break. Vekic had a set point in the tie-break, but that wasn't used and Kvitova eventually won the match 6-4, 7-6(6) to win the 2023 Berlin Open and her 31st career title.
The Czech player will therefore stay in the Top 10 of the WTA Rankings, right ahead of fellow compatriot Barbora Krejcikova who returned to the Top 10 thanks to contesting the Birmingham Classic final.
0 Comments