Experienced Czechs have done it once again. They are being talked about again. Petra Kvitová and Karolína Plíšková advanced to the second week of the tennis US Open despite this year’s uneven performances. Kvitová will play in the round of 16 in New York for the seventh time in her career, Plíšková for the sixth. Meanwhile, their Monday duels attract a lot of attention.
The aura of an indomitable fighter shines around Petra Kvitová again. The 32-year-old Czech managed a nerve-wracking battle with Garbina Muguruza in the third round of the last Grand Slam of the season and established herself at the top of the season’s list of players who managed to turn a match despite facing a match point.
Kvitova has managed a similar feat for the third time this year, which no one else has been able to do.
In January in Sydney, she escaped two match points from Arantxe Rusova, recently in Cincinnati she saved (and turned) a duel with Jil Teichmann at the last moment. Now came the third twist.
Muguruza had two match points at 6:5 in the third set, but Kvitová took it and in a long super tie-break she overcame the tenth player in the world for good.
“I was completely exhausted. It was a nightmare,” the two-time Wimbledon champion admitted to Czech journalists directly in Flushing Meadows and quickly disappeared to rest. At that moment there were two days left until the next duel.
Kvitová will visit the Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time this year as part of the round of 16. On the biggest tennis stand in the world, he will face his home opponent and, logically, great opposition from the local, often indiscriminate fans.
“I’m playing with Jessica, so I’m going to play against Jessica and of course against the crowd,” Kvitova immediately understood what the match with Pegula, the eighth player in the world ranking, which will be pushed forward by approximately 23 thousand American fans, will be about.
“On the other hand, I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve played with her a few times and they were great matches,” said Kvitová, hoping that the New York audience could at least occasionally applaud her tennis.
She defeated the 28-year-old native of Buffalo and the daughter of a billionaire family both last year in Doha and the year before in the third round of the US Open, when it was played without spectators due to the covid pandemic. She won both times without dropping a set, so it’s up to Pegula to make a difference.
“It’s very difficult to play with Petra. I feel that when she’s in the loop, she can completely blow you off the court. But sometimes she can be out of it,” said the American.
“I have to find a balance. To go for my shots and put pressure on her, but at the same time not get frustrated when she serves too well or hits winning balls,” added Pegula.
Strength vs. consistency. That’s how Tennis.com, a specialized server, summed up the expected fight, which will open the action at the Arthur Ashe Stadium at 6 p.m. CET. His American expert Steve Tignor tipped for Kvitová as the winner.
“As Jessica says, you never know with Kvitova. But I would say that she will extend her good streak by at least one more round,” he wrote.
While Kvitová can equal her New York best, as she already reached the quarterfinals in 2015 and 2017, but has not yet progressed further, Karolína Plíšková can gradually highlight her interesting record at the American Grand Slam.
In 2016, she played in the finals in New York, in 2017, 2018, and also finished in the quarterfinals last year.
Now she goes to Victoria Azarenkova, who has lost three finals in New York during her long and successful career. The duel against the thirty-three-year-old Belarusian is considered by experts and bookmakers to be completely unpredictable.
Both players are currently in the third ten of the world rankings and their mutual balance is balanced. 4:4 for matches, the last of which is more than three years old.
Plíšková is well aware of Azarenka’s past successes, but she does not feel afraid.
“I don’t take it that way. I know she won a lot, but that was before she gave birth. Now the situation is a little different. Moreover, I was able to beat her even before the child, it’s open,” Tenisový svát quoted the words of the 30-year-old native from Loun.
“But of course I have to play well because she’s uncomfortable on the concrete. She plays aggressively, she’s stubborn, she does everything possible to win. It’s definitely not going to be easy, but it’s not a match. There are some girls against whom, when they play well, there’s not much you can do. But otherwise, if I play well, there’s always a chance to win,” Plíšková added confidently.
