Petra Kvitova vs Kiki Bertens (7-6 [8-6], 4-6, 6-3)
World number 10 Petra Kvitova etched his name on the Madrid Open history books as she beat Kiki Bertens for a historic third title in the Premier Mandatory event.
However, the Czech was made to work hard for the championship, needing three sets and two hours and 53 minutes to fend off the Dutch clay-court specialist.
Highlights of the game
“Sweet and weird.”
That’s how Kvitova described her win over Bertens. Most betting sites would agree on the second word she used considering that the Czech wasn’t expected to make it to this stage.
Not to mention that she is playing in her eleventh match in 13 days, which led online bookmakers to believe that Bertens has the advantage despite contesting her first career final at a Premier Mandatory level.
However, Kvitova dug deep from her experience to fend off the Dutchwoman’s title bid.
Kvitova’s fatigue manifested during the final as Bertens jumped to an early 2-4 lead. Fortunately, the 28-year-old star found his footing right on time to level at 4-4 and send the game to a tie-breaker.
The tie-break was just as intense and tight, but Kvitova overcame an early double fault to go up by two and pull away for the set after 76 minutes.
Exhaustion continued to hound Kvitova, and it showed as errors crept into her game. Bertens smartly took advantage, stayed aggressive and used long rallies to level the match.
The final set turned into a tug of war between the two. In fact, four break points were created in just the opening two games that turned into a marathon.
Kvitova broke and went 4-2 up in the decider before Bertens retaliated and cut the deficit to just one game. Nonetheless, after Kvitova broke for the second time, she held her nerves to close out the match and win her third title in Spain.
“My body is very exhausted, as well, so… I’m pretty surprised that the body just handle it somehow. Every title feels great. Winning three times here in Madrid, it means something. It’s not really happening every day, so I’m very proud of myself,” Kvitova said after the match.
Key statistics
The match was tight throughout, and post-match statistics showed that. Out of the opening eight games, five went to deuce.
Meanwhile, individual numbers showed how the game went down. Bertens—who suffered a 6-1, 6-0 humbling in the hands of Kvitova in their only meeting in 2015—had seven aces and saved 79 percent of breakpoints. She was also able to stay close on Kvitova on other categories.
However, it was the little things that made the difference. Kvitova had the better overall service game and had a slight advantage when it comes to returns.
What’s next?
It was supposed to be Simona Halep’s historic year after winning the past two titles in Spain. However, Kvitova pipped her for the record and became the first woman to win the tournament three times. The Czech won in Caja Magica in 2011 and 2015.
The victory also gave Kvitova her best start to a season in her career, having won a tour-leading four titles in 2018. She already won trophies in St. Petersburg, Doha and most recently, in Prague where she defeated Mihaela Buzarnescu for the title.
Now Kvitova, unbeaten in 11 straight matches, is set to rise in the standings from No. 10 to No. 8.
Meanwhile, for Bertens, she will find some consolation from the fact that she’s guaranteed to rise to No. 15 from No. 18 when the rankings are updated. It has also been a wonderful week for her after a magical run that even saw her beat reigning Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki.
“I think I can be really proud of myself, like seeing myself where I’m coming from. Just playing today in this final, playing tennis like the level I played today I think was quite okay for such a big final,” Bertens said following her loss.
Next up for the two players is the Italian Open. Bertens is up against Maria Sakkari once again, with the two pitted against each other in the Round of 64 of the Madrid Open as well.
On the other hand, Kvitova will face a tricky opponent in British number one Johanna Konta in the first round. The two split their last two meetings, with Konta beating the Czech in Eastbourne in 2016 before Kvitova made easy work of the Brit in Wuhan in the same year.
It doesn’t look easy for Kvitova though, especially with online sports betting pundits expecting the wear and tear in the Madrid Open to take its toll on her body.
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