Kvitova, Fritz win Eastbourne titles
EASTBOURNE, England — Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova tuned up for the Grand Slam tournament by overpowering Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2 to win the Eastbourne title on Saturday.
Also, Taylor Fritz outlasted Maxime Cressy 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) in an all-American men’s final for his second Eastbourne title.
Kvitova earned her first grass-court title in four years — and 29th trophy of her singles career — after breaking Ostapenko, the defending champion, early in both sets of the final and feasting on the Latvian’s second serve.
Kvitova saved five break points in the fourth game of the second set to stay in control of the match at 3-1.
“Playing on the grass is very special for me every time,” the Czech player said on court. “It’s the best preparation for Wimbledon, as well.”
Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion in 2011 and 2014, begins another campaign on Tuesday against Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
She is 5-1 in grass-court finals. Her most recent was in 2018 in Birmingham.
The eighth-seeded Ostapenko, a Wimbledon semifinalist four years ago, won the 2017 French Open.
After the final, Ostapenko withdrew from the women’s doubles final alongside Ukrainian partner Lyudmyla Kichenok because of a toe problem on her right foot. The walkover handed the title to Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia and Magda Linette of Poland.
Ostapenko is the 12th seed at Wimbledon and has a first-round match scheduled on Monday against Oceane Dodin of France.
TSITSIPAS BEATS BAUTISTA AGUT TO WIN MALLORCA
PALMA, Spain — Stefanos Tsitsipas won the Mallorca Championships after beating Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets on Saturday as they prepared to play on the grass courts of the All England Club.
Tsitsipas’ first grass-court title on the ATP Tour comes before Wimbledon starts on Monday.
The second-seeded Greek held off a late rally in the decisive set to beat Bautista Agut 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2) for his tour-leading 40th win of the season.
His ninth career title was also Tsitsipas’ second of the season after he retained his Monte Carlo title in April.
Tsitsipas, sixth in the rankings, has drawn Alexander Ritschard of Switzerland in the opening round of Wimbledon.
Bautista Agut was trying for his second title of 2022, as well, and to add to his 10 career titles.
Tsitsipas appeared to be cruising in the third set after getting an early break to open up a 4-1 lead. But 20th-ranked Bautista Agut, who upset top-ranked Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals, broke Tsitsipas when he was serving for the win and forced the tiebreaker.
GARCIA VICTORIOUS AT BAD HOMBURG
BAD HOMBURG, Germany — Caroline Garcia won her first tour title in three years after coming back from a set and a break down to beat 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday in the final of the Bad Homburg Open.
Garcia took a medical timeout for what seemed to be a shoulder problem early in the second set. She then went 4-2 down before winning 10 of the next 14 games to seal the match ahead of the start of Wimbledon on Monday.
“It was a fight (for) every point from the first to the last one,” Garcia said.
Garcia is 8-3 in career finals but her last title was almost exactly three years ago in Nottingham in the build-up to the 2019 Wimbledon tournament.
Andreescu was looking for her first title since beating Serena Williams in the 2019 final at Flushing Meadows before injuries forced her to miss the entire 2020 season.