Filed under: Tennis, Wimbledon
Petra Kvitova stunned pre-tournament favourite Maria Sharapova as she upset the odds with a straight sets final victory to become queen of Wimbledon.The Czech eighth seed claimed a 6-3 6-4 victory over the 2004 champion in front of a packed Centre Court with what was her first ever Grand Slam triumph.
Kvitova was good value for the victory with her groundstrokes too powerful and precise for Sharapova, whose struggles on her service throughout the tournament were apparent once again.
The pair exchanged breaks of serve in the opening two games and Kvitova had to see off a further two break points in game three before eventually holding.
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It proved a key moment as the Czech piled the pressure on Sharapova in game six and the Russian crumbled, double faulting in successive points to hand her opponent the advantage.
Kvitova could have been forgiven for a bout of stage fright as she served for the set in her first Grand Slam final, yet she kept her cool to serve out to love.
Sharapova was reeling on the ropes and she was dealt a further blow when Kvitova broke immediately at the start of the second set.
Another double fault from the fifth seed set up the break point and the Czech converted it with a stunning forehand down the line which needed Hawkeye to confirm it kissed the baseline.
Sharapova eventually ended a run of six straight games to Kvitova by serving out to love in game three as Kvitova showed signs of cracking for the first time.
And, buoyed by the previous game, the Russian hit back with a break of her own thanks to a delightful backhand lob over her stranded opponent - much to the delight of watching fiance and NBA star Sasha Vucacic.
But Kvitova has proven herself to be a fighter throughout this tournament and her returns were simply too hot to handle for Sharapova and she broke again in the very next game with a searing-cross court return.
The topsy-turvy nature of the second set continued as Kvitova was punished for two sloppy misses as Sharapova broke back, only for the Czech to regain control by breaking the Russian's serve once again to take a 4-3 lead.
This time she did not let the advantage slip through her grasp and she served out to love to take the title.
Meanwhile, there was disappointment for Britain's Liam Broady in the junior final after he lost to Australia's Luke Saville 2-6 6-4 6-2.
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