Petra Kvitova edged out fellow Czech Karolina Pliskova in two tiebreak sets to win the Sydney International yesterday.
The reigning Wimbledon champion downed her rising compatriot 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (8/6) to send her into next week’s Australian Open full of confidence.
Kvitova quelled Pliskova’s tenacious challenge in 1 hour, 52 minutes to secure her 15th career title.
Photo: EPA
It was Kvitova’s third win in Australia following her victory in the 2009 Hobart International and the 2011 Brisbane International before she went on to win the first of her two Wimbledon crowns in 2011.
Kvitova is the world No. 4 and was yesterday drawn in Serena Williams’ top half at the Australian Open, setting the stage for a potential semi-final against the world No. 1.
A former Australian Open junior champion, Pliskova took the fight to Kvitova, breaking the tournament’s second seed in the second game of the final to seize the early initiative.
However, Kvitova clubbed two forehand winners and then unleashed a scorching backhand pass to break back as Pliskova tried to serve out the opening set at 5-4.
After snatching the first set in a tiebreaker, Kvitova claimed an early break in the second and looked headed for a routine win.
Pliskova had other ideas, drawing back on level terms in the sixth game to force another tiebreaker, only for Kvitova’s class to prevail once again when it mattered most.
Underlining her superiority over her compatriots, Kvitova’s win was her 15th straight against Czech opponents.
Kvitova said her hard-earned win three days out from the start of the Australian Open was most satisfying.
“It’s always tough to play a final,” she said. “I’m glad I stand here as the winner of this tournament. It’s always going to stay as a great memory in my mind.”
In the men’s draw, Mikhail Kukushkin and Viktor Troicki will create ATP Tour history when they play in the first-ever all-qualifier final following wins yesterday.
Kukushkin eliminated the last remaining seed Leonardo Mayer, while Troicki knocked out Gilles Muller to reach today’s final.
The Kazakh world No. 66 downed the Argentine fifth seed 6-4, 6-4 to reach his third ATP Tour final, while Troicki overcame Muller 6-2, 6-4.
“It’s interesting. I hope I go into the record books as the winner. That would be nice,” Troicki said. “Definitely it’s going to be a good final. Kukushkin is playing good tennis.”
It is the second time that world No. 92 Troicki will appear in the Sydney final after he progressed to the title match in 2011.
Troicki, who reached as high as No. 12 in 2011, served a 12-month suspension for failing to take a blood test at an event in 2013. It is his first ATP final since the incident.
Initially banished for 18 months — a sanction he disputed — he later had the sentence reduced to one year on appeal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Returning in July last year with a world ranking of 847, he is likely to move at least into the 70s after his results in Sydney.
A 10-year tour journeyman, Kukushkin has one career title from Moscow in 2013.
“It’s my third final, the first one outside of Russia,” Kukushkin said. “It feels good to start the season with the final, with so many wins in a row. I didn’t expect that on the second tournament on the year to play in a final already.”
In Tasmania, bad weather disrupted play in the women’s singles semi-finals at the Hobart International.
Heather Watson had already endured a long rain break in her match against American eighth seed Alison Riske and the wet weather returned as she was preparing to serve at match point.
The British No. 1 was clearly affected by the hour-long disruption and Riske saved the match point before breaking back after the resumption, albeit benefiting from a couple of line calls that Watson loudly protested.
However, Watson got another break straight away and made no mistake with her second attempt to serve out the match, winning 6-3, 7-5 to move into her second career WTA final.
American qualifier Madison Brengle joined the Briton in the title showdown after battling to a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Japan’s Kurumi Nara.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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