By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, August 18, 2018
Kiki Bertens isn't a Top 10 player yet.
But the world No. 17 continues to beat the elite with all the confidence of a woman who will soon join them.
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Bertens wore down Petra Kvitova, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, scoring her seventh straight victory over a Top 10 opponent to charge into her first Cincinnati final.
In a rematch of the Madrid final, Bertens blasted five of her 10 aces in the final set grinding down a weary Kvitova a week after she swept the Czech, 6-3, 6-2, in Montreal last week.
"I think today in the beginning I was a little bit struggling," Bertens told reporters. "With the serve, especially. And also, Petra was returning really well and also serving good.
"But then second set I was getting better and I was just yeah, I don't know. Until the end I felt fit, was going for my shots. My serve was going well in the end. It was just a matter of keeping going, I guess."
The 26-year-old Bertens raised her record to 15-3 in North America this season. She's won 14 of her last 15 matches on North American soil.
"I'm feeling great," Bertens told ESPN's Pam Shriver afterward. "I'm really happy I won this match. It was a really tough one, but I'm so happy to be in the finals here."
It is Bertens' third final of the season.
The Charleston champion will play for her sixth career championship—and first on hard court—when she faces either world No. 1 Simona Halep or hard-hitting Aryna Sabalenka in tomorrow's final.
Working with coach Raemon Sluiter, a former ATP pro, Bertens has elevated her fitness and stamina, tried to move a bit closer to the baseline and she's firing her forehand with more ambition.
Today, the Dutchwoman's assertive serving, movement and conditioning were all assets in the heat as she wore Kvitova down.
"It feels great," Bertens said. "We put a lot of work in there to get more fit, to play more aggressive, to also play on the hard courts. Yeah it's working out. I just tried to stay calm, try to play aggressive, go for my serve and go for my shots."
Kvitova carried a 42-9 record on the season onto court, including a 16-3 mark in three-setters.
The strain of her 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 win over Elise Mertens yesterday, combined with sweltering conditions, took a strain on the world No. 6, who was walking slowly and often bending over to catch her breath during the final set.
"I'm not sure if the humidity affect me, but for sure probably the hot weather a bit, yes," Kvitova said afterward. "I was sweating a lot. It just took my energy, as well. It was just one of those things which wasn't really working today for me.
"I can't really do anything with the weather, so it's just, I can just do whatever I can with myself. But all the conditions are same for both of us, and I just think that Kiki just did her best and she just played better."
Squinting into the sun, Kvitova staved off a couple of break points.
The left-hander spit up her second double fault of the game to face a third break point. Kvitova scattered a diagonal forehand wide gifting the break and a 3-2 lead to Bertens.
A break isn't truly a break until a hold to confirm it. Kvitova refused to let that happen, stepping into to blast a backhand winner and break back in the sixth game.
The two-time Wimbledon winner took a coaching consultation from coach Jiri Vanek after holding in the seventh game.
The visit seemed to inspire Kvitova, who cracked a backhand breaking again for 5-3.
Pushing Bertens back behind the baseline, Kvitova earned set point.
Launching the slider serve out wide, Kvitova closed the 38-minute opener winning four consecutive games.
Coach Sluiter came out for a visit after the opening set, telling ESPN's Pam Shriver he advised Bertens to go up and after her serve and to maintain court position because once Kvitova was stepping into the court "you're done."
Heeding her coach's advice, Bertens banged a winner breaking for a 2-0 second-set lead.
Moving her feet faster and making a concerted effort to use her legs in her shots, Bertens bended low to repel a streaking return, redirecting the ball down the line holding for 3-0.
Kvitova will return to the Top 5 when the new WTA rankings are released on Monday. One reason for her resurgence is improved fitness.
The eighth seed recognized a half-volley, sprinted forward to catch up to the ball near the net and nudged a backhand pass. That streaking get helped Kvitova break for 2-3.
The full sprint may have drained the Czech a bit as Bertens broke right back in the sixth game. The second set saw a streak of service breaks that saw Kvitova carve a beautiful slice angle forehand to break for 4-5.
Undeterred, Bertens sent a lot pass that handcuffed her 6' opponent for triple set point. Kvitova netted one of her eight double faults as Bertens broke to snatch the second set and level the match after 75 minutes.
Both ladies left the court for bathroom breaks; Bertens returned refreshed.
Hunching over at times between points and gulping gasps of air, Kvitova was visibly fighting fatigue and the sticky conditions.
A terrific defensive stand helped Bertens coax another error and earn her fourth straight break for a 2-0 second-set lead. By then, Kvitova had held just once since the opening set.
Keeping calm, Bertens blasted successive aces holding for 3-0 before acing her way to a 4-1 lead. She sealed a spot in her third final of the year, raising her record to 32-16 on the season.
Kvitova will rest and recovery before heading to New Haven for another potentially draining encounter with Agnieszka Radwanska.
"Well, I do have two days off now, so that's nice," Kvitova said. "I do play Aga in New Haven, which just the imagination of it is just exhausting, as well."
Bertens' burst has infused her with the belief she can achieve against anyone.
"I think like that you can achieve everything," Bertens said. "Like, if you really work hard, a lot of things are possible.
"Yeah, I think you see that with me. I would have never believed, I think, that I would have come so far, but it is still happening. I think there is still a way to improve. So, yeah, I just keep on going and working hard."