Petra Kvitova overcame Alison Van Uytvanck 7-6 (7-1) 1-6 6-2 at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. The Czech player faced break points in each of her first three service games. Van Uytvanck got a break in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. The Belgian player held on her serve and served for the first set at 5-4. Van Uytvanck held a set point in the 10th game, but she wasted it with a double fault. Kvitova broke back with her forehand to draw level to 5-5. Kvitova saved two break points with forehand winners before holding serve to take a 6-5 lead. Van Uytvanck held serve at love to force the first set to a tie-break. Kvitova won the first point and raced out to a 7-1 win in the tie-break.
Kvitova converted her seventh break point chance in a 15-minute first game of the third set with a backhand return winner. Van Uytvanck broke straight back on her eighth chance after Kvitova sent a forehand wide. Van Uytvanck clinched her fourth break point chance in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead after Kvitova made a double fault. Van Uytvanck won the final three games with a break in the sixth game to win the second set 6-1.
Van Uytvanck broke serve in the opening game of the decider. Kvitova broke straight back in the second game, before earning a break point at 3-2 with a backhand winner. Kvitova converted her break chance to take a 4-2 lead after a long backhand from Van Uytvanck.
Kvitova won her fourth consecutive game from 2-2 with a break in the sixth game to take a 6-2 lead.
“It was not even easy against Alexandrova in Australia. I just really played a good game. It was just at the beginning of those sets I was making those key points”,said Kvitova.
Kvitova will face Ekaterina Alexandrova, who edged Donna Vekic 6-1 7-5 after 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach the third round. Alexandrova reached the first quarter final of her career at Premier level.
Alexandrova earned an immediate break in the opening game of the match. She broke twice more in the first set. Vekic made seven unforced errors to just two winners and made her second double fault, when she faced a set point.
The second set started with four consecutive breaks of serve. Alexandrova saved two break points in the fifth game and hit her first ace to take a 3-2 lead. Vekic converted her fourth break point to take a 5-4 lead. Alexandrova broke straight back to draw level to 5-5, when Vekic hit her backhand into the net.
Vekic saved three match points in the final game of the second set but Alexandrova converted her fourth chance.
Alexandrova scored her 16th win in the past 17 matches. The Russian player has won 33 of her last 38 matches since October 2018.
