Sunday’s singles finals in Cincinnati feature two surprising matchups. Petra Kvitova was just 17-15 on the year before this week, and only 12-10 lifetime at this event. But the two-time Wimbledon has now claimed 12 of her last 14 matches, and has reached her first WTA 1000 final in two-and-a-half years.
In the women’s singles championship match, she faces a rejuvenated Caroline Garcia, who in her best season since 2017, has accumulated 34 match wins. Garcia has already defeated three top 10 players this week (Sakkari, Pegula, Sabalenka) and is the first player to ever come through qualifying to reach a WTA 1000 final.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is the least surprising of the four singles finalists, as he leads the ATP with 45 wins in 2022. However, this is his first Masters 1000 final on a hard court in over four years. And in the semifinals, he gained only his third victory over world No.1 Daniil Medvedev in 10 tries.
In the final, he plays a reborn Borna Coric, who missed a full year of action due to shoulder surgery. Since returning in March, he was just 4-8 at tour level coming into this event. But with a new and improved serve, Coric has only been broken three times this week, which has earned him four victories over top 20 players (Nadal, Bautista Agut, Auger-Aliassime, Norrie).
Petra Kvitova vs. Caroline Garcia (Q) – 2:00pm on Center Court
These players met eight times between 2014 and 2019, with Kvitova holding the slight edge 5-3. One of those matches occurred seven years ago at this event, when Garcia won in three. Petra claimed both of their most recent meetings in 2019, with all four sets decided by a score of 6-3. Both players usually play their best tennis in finals. Kvitova is 29-10 in her career, while Garcia is 9-3. The fast courts in Cincinnati would seem to favor Petra, especially when she’s striking her serve and forehand as crisply as she has this week. But the level of confidence Caroline has built up this season is formidable, and she’s fully capable of winning her first WTA 1000 title in nearly five years.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (4) vs. Borna Coric – Not Before 4:30pm on Center Court
Their last matchup was a highly dramatic affair. Two years ago in the third round of the US Open, Tsitsipas was up two-sets-to-one, and had a 5-1 lead in the fourth set. But despite holding six match points, Stefanos could not put Borna away, with Coric eventually fighting back to win in a fifth-set tiebreak. And it all played out in a bizarre environment, as this was the “Pandemic Open” with no fans in attendance. Their only other encounter took place at the 2018 Rome Masters, yet only five games were contested before Coric retired. Based on recent form, Tsitsipas is a considerate favorite to win on Sunday. Even before Borna’s shoulder surgery, Stefanos was the far more accomplished player. But based on the way Coric has served and competed all week, it would be far from surprising to see Borna prevail in only his second Masters 1000 final, and his first in nearly four years.
Other Notable Matches on Sunday:
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury (1) vs. Tim Puetz and Michael Venus (6) – The No.1 team in the world are vying for only their second title of the season. Puetz and Venus have achieved four finals this year, yet only prevailed in one of them. When these teams played this past April in Monte Carlo on clay, Ram and Salisbury were victorious in straight sets.
Sunday’s full Order of Play is here.
