Twice former champion Petra Kvitova secured a comfortable victory in the second round of Wimbledon on Friday (07). As the ninth seed, she faced minimal resistance from Belarusian player Aliaksandra Sasnovich, ultimately triumphing with a 6-2, 6-2 scoreline on Court Two, which was bathed in sunlight.
At 33 years old, the Czech tennis player, who previously claimed Wimbledon titles in 2011 and 2014, has reached the third round only once since her second victory.
However, in this match characterised by numerous errors, the majority of which came from Sasnovich, Kvitova did not need to showcase her best form.
Sasnovich, who has made attempts in Grand Slam tournaments for a decade, has never advanced beyond the fourth round.
Having claimed a grasscourt title in Berlin as a warm-up for Wimbledon, Kvitova demonstrated her prowess on the court.
Despite trading early breaks with her opponent, the Czech player appeared to have the upper hand throughout the match. She secured a crucial break for a 4-2 lead in the first set, while Sasnovich, who concluded the set with a double fault, experienced another service drop.
In the second set, although Sasnovich briefly rallied to break Kvitova’s serve and level the score at 1-1, her momentum was short-lived.
The Belarusian struggled to minimise errors in the face of Kvitova’s powerful and precise groundstrokes. Ultimately, Kvitova comfortably sailed through the match, wrapping up the victory in a total playing time of 74 minutes.
“It’s always difficult to play her, always a battle, and I’m happy that somehow I found a way and I’m through,” said Kvitova, who is the fifth-highest earning female player with almost 37 million dollars banked.
“I really enjoyed the it. You never know how long you can play but I wish it never ends – all the support is always amazing.”
(Reuters)
