Who could overthrow a grand slam tournament champion yet untouchable and clearly in a class apart since the start of the season? Another grand slam champion. Petra Kvitova stood up to Elena Rybakina to take the title of the Miami tournament from her on Saturday afternoon, in two sets of 7-6 (14) and 6-2.
In fact, this final was played in three sets. The first, the second and… the tiebreaker of the first set.
Kvitova’s triumph was played out in those 24 minutes of intensity, ferocity and combat.
30 points were disputed during this break. Rarely is a race so fiercely contested. Each of the players got five set points. In the end, Kvitova was the most opportunistic.
PHOTO WILFREDO LEE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Elena Rybakina and Petra Kvitova display their trophies after the duel.
At the start of the break, Rybakina had taken the advantage. She hammered her rival with aces, winning shots in addition to forcing her to overplay. It was almost a copy-and-paste of the first set tiebreaker in the Indian Wells tournament final against Aryna Sabalenka two weeks ago.
However, this time the Kazakh was overwhelmed. Kvitova came back stronger. The aggressiveness and power that characterized his game during his glory years between 2011 and 2014 resurfaced. The two-time Wimbledon champion made brilliant service returns in addition to answering all of her opponent’s attacks. With her right fist clenched and her mouth wide open, Kvitova savored each point, as if she understood how to beat the WTA Tour’s player of the hour.
The return of Kvitova
Kvitova already has her place among the greatest in history. This title in Miami, one of the most significant Masters 1000 tournaments on the calendar, proves that the Czech still has gas in her tank.
From Monday, she will return to the top 10 of the WTA rankings.
She arrived at the tournament as 12e world player, but even if she knocked on the door, no one seemed to want to answer her. She was completely off the radar. The interest and enthusiasm for younger players and the weekly ranking changes can explain a lot of things.
However, Kvitova struck a blow by beating Rybakina, the defending champion of Wimbledon, the finalist of the last Australian Open and the champion of Indian Wells.
There has never been a secret in the game of the holder, now 30 titles. Hit hard, as many times as possible.
This description may seem simplistic, but on the contrary, the tall six-foot player is aware of her qualities and she uses them wisely. Power will never go out of style and Kvitova is always up to date. Making mistakes is one thing, not making mistakes is another.
The winner had only seven winners more than Rybakina, with 29. However, she committed 10 fewer unforced errors, with 14. This positive differential tipped the scales.
Her serving game was effective with 78% of the points won, but it was her ability to hold the rally and turn the tempo with lethal bombs deep down the lines that Kvitova was able to lift the bigger of the two crystal trophies. A first for her in Miami.
Rybakina at my wit’s end
The seventh racket in the world has already played a lot of tennis since the beginning of the year. An unavoidable burden when a player is subscribed to victory.
PHOTO GEOFF BURKE, USA TODAY SPORTS
Elena Rybakina
She could have become only the fifth player in history to win the famous Sunshine double, that is to say the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments in quick succession.
These accumulated matches and finals undoubtedly got the better of Rybakina in Miami. Kvitova was bright and resilient, but the tall blonde was visibly off her slippers.
First, she was playing with two bandages on her shoulder blades. It didn’t slow her down too much. The fatigue was rather felt in his lack of ease in moving, the lack of bite in several of his attacks, and especially in his game choices. His mind sometimes seemed to be more affected than his physical abilities.
His moves to the net left something to be desired. Several times she hit the ball with the frame of her racquet. Many balls fell miles from the line. Then, some of his decisions in terms of ball placement were fatal. Like when at the start of the second set, she had an easy-to-place smash down the left, but opted to land a slight backhand in the direction Kvitova was moving.
These details made the difference. At least she was able to rely on her serve, with several timely aces.
However, Rybakina should continue to progress in the standings by virtue of this place in the final, having beaten Paula Badosa and Jessica Pegula in particular, earlier in the week.
