Petra Kvitova upsets Elena Rybakina to win first Miami Open crown

MIAMI: Petra Kvitova turned back the clock to upset Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 7-6(14), 6-2 on Saturday to win her first Miami Open crown and ninth WTA 1000 title.

The veteran Czech player, seeded 15th, ended an epic, 22-minute first set tiebreak by converting her fifth set point when 10th-seeded Rybakina's forehand landed in the net.

The powerful left-hander then swung freely in the second, racing out to a 3-0 lead and breaking the hard-serving Rybakina for a third time on match point.

The 33-year-old Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014 and who had recently contemplated retirement, put her hands on her head in astonishment when Rybakina's forehand sailed long to seal the win.

The loss ended Indian Wells champion Rybakina's bid for the 'Sunshine Double' and snapped the reigning Wimbledon champion's 13-match winning streak.

Rybakina's 12 aces were offset by 24 unforced errors, and she won fewer than half of her second serve points.

By winning her 30th career title, the former world number two Kvitova will now re-enter the top 10 for the first time since September 2021.

High-stakes matches tend to bring out her best and she improved to 30 wins and 11 losses in finals. Agencies

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