This year’s Australian Open finalist and St. Petersburg defending champion Petra Kvitova beat Victoria Azarenka 6-2 7-6 (7-3) in a blockbuster second-round match at the Ladies Trophy in St. Petersburg.
Both players traded breaks twice in the first four games of the opening set. Kvitova was the first to hold serve at 3-2 after saving two break points. Kvitova broke serve twice in the sixth and eighth games with two service winners and a backhand return winner to win the final three games of the first set 6-2.
Kvitova went up an early break to open up a 3-0 lead. Azarenka held serve for the first time in the match in the fourth time for 1-3.
Kvitova went up a double break on her third break point chance at deuce to race out to a 6-2 5-1 lead after Azarenka hit a backhand error. Kvitova held a match point but she made a double fault, as she was serving for the match. Azarenka pulled back the second break to draw level to 5-5 when Kvitova sent a backhand long.
Both players held their serve en route to the tie-break. Kvitova won five consecutive points and converted the first of her three match points with a backhand down the line winner to win the second-set tie-break 7-3 after 1 hour and 40 minutes. Kvitova will take on either Donna Vekic or lucky loser Veronika Kudermetova.
The 2019 Sydney champion extended her win-loss record to 5-3 in her eight head-to-head matches against Azarenka.
The Czech star hit 40 winners to Azarenka’s 14 and hit nine aces.
