Petra Kvitova kisses her trophy on the podium after winning the Madrid Open at the Caja Magica (Magic Box) sports complex in Madrid yesterday. Kvitova beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-2.
DPA/Madrid
Petra Kvitova won the 16th title of her career as she dominated fellow double grand slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-2 yesterday to win the Madrid Masters.
The world number four Czech won the title in 2011 and played the semis a year ago.
Kvitova, who owns two Wimbledon crowns, went almost unchallenged in the final lasting 66 minutes, with Russian Kuznetsova, ranked 29th, receiving an off-court taping on her left thigh after losing the opening set.
Despite her comprehensive defeat, Kuznetsova, a former number two on the ATP, will move back inside the top 20, with a provisional ranking of 18th.
Kvitova stands 16-5 in career finals, taking revenge for a loss to Kuznetsova in the French Open third round last spring. The Czech who took two months off recently to stave off burnout and general lethargy, has beaten the Russian in four of their five meetings.
“I’m very happy and really glad to be the winner here for a second time,” said Kvitova.
“I know Sveta was not feeling so well and was not at her best, I wish her good luck in her recovery.”
Kvitova broke twice in an opening set that barely went for half an hour. In the second, the fourth seed got away with a break to start for 1-0 and led 4-0 before her opponent temporarily stopped the rot with a hold for 1-4.
Kvitova closed out the inevitable win against a determined, if wounded, opponent on the first of three match points.
Kuznetsova, 29, had spent 11 total hours on court in her previous matches this week - three hours more than the younger Kvitova - and felt the effects in the final.
Kvitova now stands 20-5 in her abbreviated season, but is back in the qualifying top eight in the race for the year-end final at Singapore in October.
