MADRID: Petra Kvitova is just a single victory away for her third title at the Madrid Open after defeating compatriot Karolina Pliskova 7-6(4), 6-4, on Friday evening.
The two-time grand slam champion held her nerve to edge out the fifth seed, who hit six double faults and 21 unforced errors. It was a far from straightforward encounter for Kvitova. At the start of the match she went behind 1-3 before fighting back to level 4-4. Then another exchanged of breaks following on route to the tiebreaker, which Pliskova gave away. The Czech world No.6 produced back-to-back double faults to hand Kvitova the opening set.
Breaking immediately at the start of the second, the 28-year-old continued to weather the storm. Fending off the threat posed by her opponent with a combination of outstanding defensive skills and aggressive shot-making. Edging herself on with outbursts of ‘come on,’ Kvitova roared to a set and 5-3 lead. Continuing to apply the pressure on the Pliskova serve, she broke once again to seal the match after error No.21 from her Fed Cup team mate.
“I think that I started pretty slow kind of. I was a little bit tight, I think. I did have some easy mistakes in the first game.” Said Kvitova, who hit 32 winners.
“But I stayed calm. I had to fight for my games on the serve. But then the chance to break her came.
“It was really up and down. I think we both were a little bit nervous. It showed in the tennis today.”
Kvitova now has a 27-1 win-loss record against her Czech opponents since 2016. Speaking about the emphatic record after her latest win, the world No.10 admits that she feels more motivated when playing her fellow compatriots on the tour. Within that period, her only loss was to Pliskova’s sister kristýna earlier this year in Charleston.
“I think every match which I’m playing against a Czech girl, it’s always pretty difficult for both of us. With the Czech girls, we know each other very well. Doesn’t matter who it is. We have already played many Fed Cups together. We also practice together in Prague sometimes. It’s always like that.” She explained.
“The motivation is probably a little bit extra. On the other hand, I think they have it, as well.”
Pliskova, who defeated Simona Halep earlier in the tournament, has blamed her downfall on wanting to win the match too much. The hit and miss performance saw her make a barrage of mistakes as she failed to find consistency in her game. A stark contrast to her win over Halep just 24 hours prior.
“I think the biggest problem was the first set and my game. It’s not that I would not have a chance. I had enough chances to win the match today, but I didn’t just play anything special or not even good enough to get some points.” She explained.
“I think I was a little bit over-motivated today.”
In the final Kvitova will take on Kiki Bertens. The Dutch player upset seventh seed Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-2. Booking a place in her first ever Premier Mandatory final and is set to rise to a ranking high of 15th in the world.
“I’m going to probably try to play the same as I always try. It’s going to be about the serve and wait something in the rallies.” She previewed about the upcoming match.
On Saturday Kvitova will be bidding to become the first woman to win the Madrid Open title for a third time.
