Petra Kvitova showed why she is one of the favourites for the Miami Open title with an emphatic 6-1 6-4 victory over Maria Sakkari.
The Czech, 29, took full advantage of a poor start from her Greek opponent as she won the opening set in just 25 minutes.
Sakkari improved in the second set. She earned an early break to move 2-0 up. However, Kvitova responded like the champion she is to win the next four games and turn the set on its head. The Czech then held serve twice more to secure her serene passage into round three.
“I had to work hard in the second set when Maria came back a little bit stronger,” Kvitova said in her on-court interview.
“I love that blue (colour of the new court) so it’s made me really happy to play on it. It’s such a nice venue here.”
Kvitova’s fans will be relieved to hear that she likes the new venue. And they will be hoping the Czech can perform better at the Hard Rock Stadium than she did at the previous venue in Crandon Park. Her best run there was in 2014 when she lost to Maria Sharapova in the quarter-final.
Kvitova faces tough road ahead
Whether Kvitova is thinking about it or not, there is a lot at stake this week in Miami. If the World No.2 wins the event, she has a great chance of overtaking Naomi Osaka at the top of the rankings.
Admittedly, the Czech has a very tough draw, so she may have to beat some high-quality opponents in the next few rounds.
She could play Donna Vekic, who beat her 6-4 6-1 in St Petersburg, in round three. Then she is almost certain to face a tough encounter in round four against one of Julia Goerges, Caroline Garcia, Magdalena Rybarikova or Victoria Azarenka.
If Kvitova gets through that section, she may have to take on Ashleigh Barty, Madison Keys, Kiki Bertens or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the last eight.
The potential semi-final that awaits the Czech is mouth-watering. If the top half follows the seedings, she will have to prepare herself for a rematch of the Australian Open final against Osaka.
Although it is difficult to imagine a much tougher draw for any player, Kvitova is capable of beating this formidable line-up of WTA stars.
