Petra Kvitova came back from one set down to beat Sofia Kenin (a US teenager of Russian origin) 3-6 6-3 6-4 after surviving a tough battle to reach the Round of 16 at the Miami Open. The twice Wimbledon champion has scored her third win in ten matches against a US player since 2017. Kvitova set up a fourth round match against Jelena Ostapenko, who beat Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maya 6-2 7-6 (7-2).
Kenin, the last teenager remained in the draw, got an early break in the opening set and consolidated it to build up a 5-2 lead. Kvitova broke back on her first chance, as Kenin was serving for the set, but Kenin hit a backhand winner to close out the first set 6-3.
Kvitova took a 3-2 lead after five breaks in the first five games of the second set. The Czech star held her service game to open up a 5-2 lead and closed out the second set 6-2 with his fifth ace. Kvitova went up an early break at the start of the third set. Kenin hit a crosscourt winner to get the break back in the fourth game for 2-2. Kenin broke serve in the sixth game to open up a 4-2 lead but Kvitova reeled off the final four games of the decider to close out a hard-fought win.
Kvitova hit 35 winners to Kenin’s 15 and converted 8 of the 14 break points she created.
Kvitova’s next rival is Jelena Ostapenko, who beat Beatriz Haddad Maya 6-2 7-6 (7-2) in a re-match of last year’s final in Seoul won by the young Latvian star.
Kenin was born in Moscow, but moved to the USA with her family when she was a baby. She started playing tennis at the age of five. She reached the third round as a wildcard at the US Open.
“I have no idea how I won. It was a really tough match mentally for me to play a young player I didn’t know. It’s always a bit tough because those opponents play so well against me. I remember me when I was younger, how I played without fear and with nothing to lose. They play so aggressively, which she did today. She did not really miss anything. I just tried to play more rallies and get into a rhythm. Kenin is a great mover. She can catch a lot of balls and put them back into the court. She serves well, she is not so tall, but she puts a good percentage of first serves in. I had to play a lot of rallies, and it was difficult to go to the net because she reads the game so well, said Kvitova.
Ostapenko went up a set and a double break to build up a 6-2 3-1 lead in the second set. Haddad Maya pulled back both breaks to level the set forcing the match and forced Ostapenko to serve twice to stay in the second set setting up a tie-break. Ostapenko came back from 0-2 in the breaker to reel off the final seven points and close out the match after 90 minutes.
“I started really well in the match, and I was playing well, but there were some key points, like when I was up 3-1 30-0 on her serve, I lost some confidence. In the tie-break, I showed my great tennis, and I won the match. I am really glad it happened that way. I am working very hard. It was a tough year at the beginning because I was in the top 10, so there were not too many easy matches, but I am working harder every day, I am very motivated and I think I am getting better. I have been trying to work more on my consistency in practice, to have longer rallies ”, said Ostapenko.
Kvitova beat Ostapenko in straight sets in the quarter finals at this year’s St. Petersburg tournament last February.
Number 4 seed Elina Svitolina fought back from one set down to beat Daria Gavrilova 4-6 6-0 6-1 to extend her record in her head-to-head matches against the Australian player to 5-2. Both players traded breaks twice en route to 4-4 in the opening set. Gavrilova broke Svitolina for the third time to take a 5-4 lead and served for the first set. The Australian player earned a set point, when Svitolina sent a backhand pass wide and closed out the first set with an unforced error from Svitolina.
Svitolina held serve in the first game of the second set with a forehand winner and broke serve in the second game for 2-0 after two consecutive double faults from Gavrilova. Svitolina held serve for 3-0 after a hard-fought game. Gavrilova earned three game points with an ace while she was serving at 0-5, but Svitolina hit a forehand volley and a drop shot to win the second set by a bagel. Svitolina broke serve on her fourth opportunity to open up a 2-0 lead and held serve for 3-0.
Gavrilova, who clinched her first top-10 win at this tournament three years ago, ended a nine game losing streak with a hold of serve for 1-3 in the third set. Svitolina got another break, when Gavrilova made a double fault and a forehand unforced error at 1-4. Svitolina hit an ace to close out the match in the next game.
Svitolina hit 28 winners to 34 unforced errors. She set up a round of 16 match against Australia’s Ashleigh Barty, who Petra Martic 6-4 6-3.
