Replay day 3: Gippsland Cup
In the final point of the game in their second round at the Yarra Valley Class, Petra Kvitova found just enough of a racket to send off the blistering Venus Williams serving an inch across the net. Williams ran forward and lunged, but the ball was out of his reach.
If anything, the moment was fitting for their game, with not many separating the two late Monday through Tuesday morning at Margaret Court Arena. Despite a frenzy of errors throughout the game, Kvitova pulled away with a 7-6 (6), 7-5 win.
Ironically, as close as it turned out, this was the first time in eight career meetings going back to 2014 that a third set had not decided the winner.
“I knew it would be difficult,” Kvitova said a few minutes later in her court interview. “I thought it was a good game from both sides. … We play similar games. There are always 50-50. ”
Williams, 40, started quickly. She picked up Kvitova on the first point of the game, and then quickly followed. A final break gave her a 3-1 lead. But Williams was unable to consolidate in the next game, and Kvitova even pulled. The two keepers will be in attendance for the next seven games. In the tiebreaker, Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon winner, followed with a heavy hand down the field, bringing in a screeching down-off line after a 101 mph service on her fourth set point to secure the opening frame. seal.
The second set was almost seedless. Kvitova rode a bit of an early move, taking a 3-1 lead partly due to Williams ’crooked service. But leading 4-2, a series of non-critical mistakes once again plagued the No. 9 30-year-old world, including a back-to-back handball that sailed wide, giving the individual a break back. -his challenges.
After four consecutive catches, Williams, serving at 5-6, sent a poorly run hand into the center of the net, setting up a match point for Kvitova.
Kvitova was a striker throughout the game, hitting nearly twice as many winners (41-22) but also making far more non-critical mistakes (39-19).
Hard to believe, but seven years had passed since Kvitova finally defeated Williams. They had played twice since then, with Williams winning the 2017 U.S. Open quarterfinals (7-6 in the third) and another three-set nail two years later at Indian. Wells.
Then take Kvitova 14th-view Nadia Podoroska, who outscored Greet Minnen earlier in the day, in the round of 16.
Barty succeeded
Ashleigh Barty returned World No. 1 back to the WTA on home ground, as her first game in nearly a year fell in favor.
The world ‘s top player outscored Romania’ s Ana Bogdan, 6-3, 6-3, to move into the round of 16 at the Yarra Valley Class. This is her first event since the semifinal loss to Petra Kvitova at Doha in February 2020.
“I had a lot of fun out here today, and I think I missed your boys so well too!” Barty told the delighted fans in Melbourne, in her interview after her game.
“This is one of my favorite places to play around the world, and for me to be able to come back after 11 or 12 months off now – it’s been a while, but I miss this feeling, I miss coming out here and competing, “Barty continued, looking towards a third-round case with No.16 seed Marie Bouzkova from Republic of the Czech Republic.
Despite their long absence, it looked like Barty was never gone. The Australians fired 22 winners to Bogdan 11, and they had only one break point – who came and went in the final leg of the game.
Bog93 World Bogdan lost all three of her previous games against the Top 10 against, and although she got out well in her first game against ruling World No.1, it was still able to get Barty’s win back after 73 minutes of play.
The two retained players serve comfortably up to 3-3, but that was where Barty kicked in too much, winning eight of Bogdan ‘s last nine points of service for two breaks. close and exclude the opening set.
Bogdan halted a five-game winning streak for Barty by saving a break point and holding for 1-1, but Barty was no suspect and grabbed another love break to move on 4-2.
The Roman remained steadfast in the final fields, saving two match points before holding for 5-3, then finally earning the first break point of the game in that game. But Barty made his way to two more game points, and won a victory with the sixth run of the position.
Eight is not enough: Kenin is coming up again in Melbourne
Make it eight winners in a row for Sofia Kenin at Melbourne Park.
The Australian Open champion is ruling back to the site of her biggest career award as a No.2 seed at the Yarra Valley Class this week and found a safe passage through to the third round at the WTA 500 event when Camila Giorgi let go. retired after the opening set of the groove in their second round with a left injury.
“Obviously this is not the way I wanted to win. I hope she’s going to feel better. It was a good game. I hope she feels better. for the Aussie Open, ”Kenin said, briefing reporters after the game.
“It’s unfortunate, but I feel like I played well. It’s a win. I’m going to take it, of course. I felt like I was felt my game very well today, even though I was making a lot of non-critical mistakes with my forehand.It was weird, I felt really good … just made a few non-critical mistakes . “
From 3-0 up, Kenin quickly found themselves 4-3 against the hot and cold Italian, with the patented tennis first strike from the baseline forcing Kenin to make mistakes, but also she caused non-judgmental mistakes of her own.
Eventually, with an explosion of movement in the closing stages of the set, World No.4 got three straight games for a one-set lead, 7-5, and shortly thereafter, the retirement effect. .
Assessing her performance in the abbreviated match in her court interview with former WTA player Jill Craybas, Kenin said: “I missed too many forehands and she picked up the game. I told myself the forehands and I was able to rule out the first set. “
Next up for Kenin as she looks to keep her non-stop climbing at Melbourne Park alive is teammate Jessica Pegula, who came from 5-2 down in the second set to beat Mona Barthel, 6- 4, 7-5 in Germany.
Podoroska, Rogers wins
Seed No.14 Nadia Podoroska and American Shelby Rogers, two surprise packs at Grand Slams in 2020, come together in form ahead of the first major of 2021. Both places were secured in the third round with different effects.
Rogers, a quarter-finalist at the U.S. Open, defeated Rebecca Peterson in Sweden in nearly two and a half hours, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, while Podoroska, a semifinalist French Open, welcome Beet Minnen from Belgium in direct routes. , 6-3, 6-4.
The Argentine could face a semifinal for Kenin in the bottom half of the draw, and the 23-year-old was effectively praised by the American when he was encouraged by a reporter at her press conference .
“She’s a really good girl,” Kenin told Wod Newcomer of the Year Podoroska. “I don’t know her so well, but she has a really good game, a tough game. She had a good run at the French. She’s obviously good for Fila’s family. We’re all part of Fila. I I think she’s really good. She ‘s playing big. She’ s sad. “