Petra Kvitova came back from one set down in her thrilling 1-6 7-5 7-6 (7-3) win over local favourite Ashleigh Barty after 2 hours and 19 minutes to win her second title at the Sydney International and her eighth consecutive final. The number 5 seed lifted the 26th trophy of her career.
Petra Kvitova had beaten Ashleigh Barty in their previous two head-to-head matches at 2012 Roland Garros and in the Birmingham final in 2017 and triumphed in her last seven WTA finals.
Barty converted six of her nine break points and faced just one break point in the first two sets, but it was not enough to beat Kvitova, who clinched her eighth final in a dramatic third set.
Barty dropped four points in her first three service games and got an immediate break in the opening game after Kvitova made two double faults. The Australian player went up a double break with a deep return to build up a 3-0 lead. Kvitova held her first service game at love with an ace in the fifth game to get her first game on the scoreboard for 1-4, but Barty earned her third break to close out the first set 6-1 after 25 minutes.
Barty did not face any break points in her first eight service games of the second set. Both players went on serve until the seventh game, which went to deuce at 3-3. Barty held serve at deuce to take a 4-3 lead. Kvitova came back from 0-30 down in the eighth game to hold serve for 4-4. Kvitova earned a break point at 5-5 with a backhand down the line and converted her chance with her forehand before serving out the second set in the 12th game with a backhand winner on her second set point sending the match to the third set.
Both players stayed neck and neck until the last point in the decisive set. Barty won four straight points on return to break serve in the second game to take a 2-0 lead and hit an ace to hold a tough service game at deuce. Kvitova pulled back the break in the fifth game at deuce with a backhand winner for 2-3. Kvitova converted her fifth break point chance in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead earning a chance to serve for the match. Barty broke straight back at 15 to draw level to 5-5, but Kvitova got another break for 6-5 to get her second chance to serve for the match. Barty broke straight back again after Kvitova made two consecutive double faults to set up a decisive tie-break. Kvitova got the mini-break with a forehand winner to take a 3-1 lead, but Barty pulled it back to draw level to 3-3 after a double fault from Kvitova. The Czech player hit two backhands to earn three match points at 6-3 and converted her first chance on the 10th point with a running crosscourt forehand winner to extend her winning streak in WTA finals to eight consecutive titles.
“I left everything out there. I was cramping in the end. It was such a great final, to be honest. It was a big fight until the end. That’s the way a final should be”, said Kvitova.
Kvitova clinched her 26th career title and her second win in Sydney four years after her triumph in the 2015 final against her compatriot Karolina Pliskova. Kvitova apologised to the Australian crowd for the defeat of the local star.
“Not to win at home. I feel sorry that she she could not make it today. She put everything out there. She really played a great game. One day you are going to make it for sure. If she plays like this the whole season, there is no chance she will not make the top 10”, said Kvitova in her on-court speech during the award ceremony.
Barty lost the Sydney final for the second consecutive time one year after her 6-4 6-4 defeat against Angelique Kerber. Despite the disappointment for losing the title match against Kvitova, Barty can look back at a very successful week in which she beat two top-ten players Simona Halep and Kiki Bertens.
“I left everything out here and it was not quite enough”, said Barty after the match.
