Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova beat Irina Camelia Begu 7-5 6-1 to reach the second round at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.
Kvitova has won her first match since the birth of her first child Petr. The Chech player has ended a streak of four defeats since she came back to the WTA Tour.
Kvitova said in the post-match interview that she was not sure whether she would return to the international circuit.
Kvitova broke serve in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead. Begu broke straight back at love in the 10th game to draw level to 5-5. Kvitova earned a second break in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead and held at love in the 12th game to close out the first set 7-5. Kvitova broke three times in the first, fifth and seventh games to win the second set 6-1.
Kvitova set up a second round match against Ons Jabeur.
“I was 95% that I would never come back. I had enough of tennis at that time. I was like, ‘I can’t do it any more. I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t 100%. When I could do something finally after pregnancy, I played some tennis and it felt so good. I was laughing. Every shot I hit smoothly, I was like, ‘Wow – it’s still there’”, said Kvitova.
Lucia Bronzetti beat Anastasia Sevastova 6-3 6-4 to win the first match of her career in Rome.
Bronzetti set up a second round match against Karolina Muchova.
Bronzetti broke serve in the second game to open up a 3-0 lead. Sevastova broke serve in the seventh game for 3-4. Bronzetti converted her third break point in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead and served out with a hold at 30 in the ninth game. Bronzetti did not convert a break point in the first game of the second set. Sevastova converted her third break point in the second game and held serve at 30 to open up a 3-0 lead. Bronzetti saved two break point in the fourth game before breaking back in the fifth game. The Italian player held serve in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3. Sevastova did not convert a break point in the eighth game. Bronzetti converted her third break point in the ninth game and served out the second set 6-4 on her first match point in the tenth game.
