The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Kvitova beats Bertens for Madrid Open title
Petra Kvitova outlasted Kiki Bertens 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3 to claim a record third Madrid Open title on Saturday.
The two-time Wimbledon winner celebrated the hard-fought match when Bertens hit a backhand long on the final point after nearly three hours.
Kvitova previously won on the Madrid clay in 2011 and 2015. This third win took the Czech’s career total to 24 titles, including four in the first five months of 2018.
The final was evenly contested, with both players getting three breaks each while saving many more chances.
The key moment came when Bertens appeared to have swung the momentum back in her favor by pulling back a break in the third set, only for Kvitova to strike right back and recover the advantage for a 5-3 lead. She served out for the championship.
“It feels great, it does not matter if it is the first, second or third title,” Kvitova said.
The roof of the Caja Magica was closed without play being interrupted when it began raining in the second set.
On the men’s side, Dominic Thiem beat Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the final.
The fifth-seeded Thiem arrived at the semifinals after dealing top-ranked Rafael Nadal his first loss on clay in a year.
VINCI RETIREMENT
Former U.S. Open finalist Roberta Vinci will have no regrets when she plays her final match at next week’s Italian Open.
The 35-year-old Vinci announced in November that she would conclude her career before home fans at the Foro Italico.
“I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and of the career that I’ve had,” Vinci said Saturday. “If I had been told when I was a kid, `You’ll enter the top 10, become No. 1 in doubles and win all of the Grand Slams, plus four Fed Cups,’ maybe I would have said there’s something wrong here. Tennis has given me everything and I think I’ve given something to tennis.”
Given a wild card with her ranking down to No. 168, Vinci will open the tournament against a qualifier, then could face either 15th-seeded Anastasija Sevastova or Kristina Mladenovic in the second round.
While she hinted that coaching could be in her future, Vinci hasn’t decided on a post-playing career yet.
“First I’m focusing on finishing well and enjoying my last days of training,” she said. “Hopefully I can win a few matches and put that last match off a bit.”
At the 2015 U.S. Open, Vinci upset Serena Williams in the semifinals to prevent the American from completing a calendar-year Grand Slam. Vinci lost the final to Flavia Pennetta.