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WIMBLED N, England Eugenie Bouchard arrived at Centre Court with cool confidence and a ruthless tennis game to match. Bouchard, a 20-year-old Canadian, had captured the affection of her country and of the British tabloids, her looks, play and marketability drawing gawking comparisons to Maria Sharapova.
Bouchard now has something else in common with Sharapova. She, too, has been dominated by Petra Kvitova in a Wimbledon final.
Kvitova won her second Wimbledon championship with a near-perfect deconstruction of Bouchard on Saturday. The 6-3, 6-0 victory took only 55 minutes, the quickest women’s singles final in 31 years.
In 2011, Kvitova beat Sharapova in the final, 6-3, 6-4. ther than Venus and Serena Williams, Kvitova is the only two-time winner in women’s singles since 1996, when Steffi Graf won the last of her championships.
“It means everything,” Kvitova said, calling the victory one of the best matches she had played. “It’s Wimbledon the tennis history, and Centre Court is great to play on, and I feel at home.”
Kvitova, seeded sixth, surprised Bouchard with her ability to cover the court, extending points that would have long been lost by Bouchard’s previous opponents. Kvitova’s powerful strokes were directed at all the proper angles, as if drawn by a protractor. Her two-handed, cross-court backhand, in particular, was routinely out of reach for the quick-footed Bouchard.
“A few shots were incredible, and I couldn’t believe I made it, actually,” Kvitova said.
Kvitova also mixed speeds and spins, her array of first serves ranging from 85 mph gyroscopes to 113 mph lasers. Bouchard’s strategy of standing inside the baseline, shortening the court and quickening the pace was no match for Kvitova.
“She didn’t give me many opportunities to stay in the rallies or do what I do,” Bouchard said.