Petra Kvitova proves she can ‘still compete with the best’ after Miami Open win

Petra Kvitova will re-enter the WTA top 10 after a straight-sets victory over Elena Rybakina in the Miami Open final.

The 33-year-old became the oldest woman to win the Miami Open since Serena Williams in 2015 with a 7-6(14), 6-2 victory over Indian Wells champion Rybakina.

The win marked Kvitova’s 30^th career title, her biggest since 2018, and she admitted that it ‘means a lot’ that she can compete with the younger generation and win a significant tournament at her age.

‘’I have no idea what this will do in the season. I’m just happy that I won it from nothing,” Kvitova said afterwards.

“I think I’m playing pretty good tennis starting the year but I didn’t go really deep in a tournament. Finally, I have.

“I think I just take it very positive that I can still compete with the best. The clay is waiting and then it’s grass.

‘’The tennis world is very fast and I can’t really stand there and be watching this trophy all the time. I have to move forward, of course, as everybody would.

‘’It means a lot to me that even at my age I can still win a big tournament. That’s the biggest thing.’’

Both players were pushed to their limit during a 22-minute, 30-point tiebreak in the opening set, officially the longest tiebreak in WTA 1000 final history, and Kvitova revealed that she struggled with the intensity of it and was forced to play more aggressively to come out on top.

‘’Elena didn’t lose a tiebreak [this year],” Kvitova said.

“I had it in my mind and I said: ‘She has to lose at some point!’

“So, I kept going. The balls afterwards were so fluffy and didn’t fly at all. I’m lucky. I had to be a little bit more aggressive, which I had been in the end, but during the tiebreak I struggled.’’

The tie-break largely set the tone for the remainder of the match, with Kvitova securing an early break in the second set and running away with the match after that.

Kvitova will be back in the top 10 for the first time since September 2021 on Monday when she’ll climb to world No. 10 in the rankings.