By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, May 9, 2015

Petra Kvitova turned Svetlana Kuznetsova's best shots into punch lines for her audacious winners beating up the two-time Grand Slam champion with flat blasts then befuddling her with sharp guile.

Hammering the Russian into the corner with deep drives, Kvitova carved under the ball creating an exuisite forehand drop shot. As the ball fluttered over the net, Kuznetsova's determined grunt degenerated into a strained groan.

More: Kvitova Snaps Serena's Win Streak, Roars Into Madrid Final

By that point, you could feel her torment.

Pained by an apparent left thigh injury and upset stomach, Kuznetsova was punished by Kvitova's all-court brilliance all day long.

The fourth-ranked Kvitova outclassed Kuznetsova, 6-1, 6-2, in a 66-minute thrashing to capture her second career Madrid Open championship.

"I feel very happy and very glad that I can be a winner for the second time here in Madrid," said Kvitova, who won her first Madrid title since 2011. "And for me to finish the week like this [feels great]. I know that Svetlana is not feeling pretty well so I am wishing her good luck for sure and I am really happy that I won today."

The 25-year-old Kvitova raised her career record in finals to 16-5, second only to Serena Williams (65-17, .793 career winning percentage) for best winning percentage in finals among active players with at least 10 finals.

As formidable as the left-handed Czech looked dismantling the world No. 1 in Friday's semifinals, she was even more commanding today.

The beauty of free-flowing Kvitova is though she's a power player her game is not defined by force. She showed virtually the entire shot spectrum today.

Dominating off both serve and return, Kvitova controlled the match playing first-strike tennis. She hit four aces, won 20 of 24 first-serve points and did not face a break point in the match.

Former French Open champion Kuznetsova needed to change the pace and play angles to try to stretch her flatter-hitting opponent, but she could not get the ball out of Kvitova's expansive strike zone today.

The six-foot Czech has a wide wing span and used it to pound returns. She broke serve four times in a row sparking a nine-game streak to take total command.

The 29th-ranked Kuznetsova got a taste of the torment she was in for as Kvitova force-fed her deep drives earning triple break point in the Russian's opening service game. Kuznetsova wiggled out of that corner, holding for 1-1, but spent the rest of the match lunging at balls from obscure positions behind the baseline.

Amping up the aggression on her shots Kvitvova hit the Russian right off the court reeling off five straight games to snatch the set. Slashing an ace out wide, Kvitova capped an impeccable opening set in 27 minutes, hitting 14 winners compared to one for her overwhelmed opponent.

Trying to regroup, Kuznetsova took a lengthy medical time-out and played with heavy taping around her left thigh, but there was no panacea for the damage Kvitova inflicted.

Kvitova spun a forehand swing volley winner followed by a forehand return winner to break for a 1-0 second-set lead. At that point, she had built an 18-1 advantage in winners. Kuznetsova finally halted a horrid nine-game skid, holding for 1-4. The 29-year-old Russian took some tablets from the trainer on the ensuing changeover and went back to work.

Kvitova slammed shut the door on any comeback hopes. A high forehand volley followed by successive forehand winners gave the world No. 4 a 5-1 advantage. Kuznetsova held for 2-5, then retreated from the court again apparently for an upset stomach.

A commanding Kvitova closed at love finishing with 33 winners compared to seven for Kuznetsova.

"Are you okay?" Kvitova asked her beaten opponent in the post-match handshake. "Yeah" Kuznetsova replied looking a little shell-shocked.



It was an impressive end to an imposing run for Kvitova, who snapped Serena Williams's 27-match win streak dismantling the world No. 1, 6-2, 6-3, in the semifinals. Kvitova never looked stressed in dismissing Kuznetsova, solidifying her status as a player who produces some of her most dynamic tennis in title matches.

"I think I'm probably the kind of person who likes to play these kinds of big matches, to play the finals, the big tournaments, the Grand Slams, playing on the big stadiums," Kvitova said. "Finals are why we're all playing tennis. We want to win the big tournaments and see these beautiful trophies. So that's probably why it's more motivation for me when I'm playing finals."

As she hugged coach David Kotyza, the Tina Turner anthem "Simply the Best" blared over the Madrid sound system. That honor still belongs to 19-time Grand Slam champion Serena, but Kvitova proved again this week that when she plays her best tennis she can beat anyone, including the best.