By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, February 17, 2018
Caroline Wozniacki served for the match twice, but Petra Kvitova cracked 50 winners rallying to her 12th straight win, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5, in Doha.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Teetering near elimination, Petra Kvitova combated spiking nerves channeling anger into action.
Caroline Wozniacki twice served for the match in the second set and was four points from victory into the tie break, but a defiant Kvitova was in no mood for concession.
Watch: Goffin Retires From Rotterdam with Eye Injury
A spirited Kvitova cracked 50 winners fighting past world No. 1 Wozniacki, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 in a glorious two hour, 35-minute battle that sent the Czech into her first career Doha final.
Bold strikes and brilliant touches of finesse helped Kvitova stretch her winning streak to 12 matches in knocking off a world No. 1 for the fifth time.
The St. Petersburg champion raised her 2018 record vs. Top 10 opponents to 5-0 in stretching the second-longest winning streak of her career. Kvitova won 14 consecutive matches from the 2011 Linz to the 2012 Sydney tournaments.
"I came just to play and I was crazy a little bit in my mind," Kvitova said in her on-court interview. "I was playing everywhere, but not in the court. I was trying to calm down a little bit.
"Even in the second set I was losing. I tried to get back somehow. The tie break I think when I was down 3-1 I was really angry to myself and I just tried to hit some winners and that’s how that ended."
The 16th-seeded Kvitova will play for her 22nd career title when she takes on Garbiñe Muguruza in a Qatar Total Open final that pits the current and former Wimbledon winners. Kvitova has won three of four meetings with Muguruza, including a 7-6 (3), 6-3 triumph in the US Open round of 16 last summer.
The fourth-seeded Muguruza took a walkover win into her first final of the year when second-ranked Simona Halep withdrew from the tournament with a right foot injury yesterday.
"She had a day off today, which who knows if it's an advantage or not," Kvitova said. "I had a great match, the confidence is great turning the match against Caroline. We know how big a fighter she is. I will be ready tomorrow hopefully."
An erratic Kvitova slapped a double fault to donate the break and a 5-3 lead to the Australian Open champion. When Kvitova pasted a forehand into net, Wozniacki had triple set point.
The 27-year-old Dane made only five unforced errors compared to 16 for Kvitova in snatching a one-set lead after 30 minutes.
The top-seeded Wozniacki appeared on course for her third trip to the Doha final as Kvitova could not keep the ball between the lines.
Wozniacki roared through eight straight points to open the second set, eventually extending her lead to 3-1. Kvitova dented the Dane’s forehand wing breaking back in the sixth game.
A frenetic point spilled all over the court, a streaking Wozniacki ran down a drop volley and spun a forehand pass down the line. Kvitova correctly covered the line but couldn’t control a forehand volley and face break point.
The Dane’s ability to shrink the court and run down everything in sight haunted Kvitova who dumped a drop shot into net donating the break and a 5-4 lead.
Serving for the final, Wozniacki blinked. Pouncing on a short second serve, Kvitova cranked a crosscourt back hand return for triple break point then punished another return breaking at love to level after 10 games.
Ultimately, Kvitova couldn’t string enough solid points together. Hooking a forehand wide she faced break point then missed the mark on a crosscourt backhand. Wozniacki scored her fifth break for 6-5 and again stepped up to serve for the final again.
A double fault and deceleration on her forehand put Wozniacki in a break point bind. Kvitova crushed a forehand winner down the line to force the tie break.
The unsettling aspect of facing Kvitova is just how fast she can transition from unruly errors to unbelievable shot-making. Wozniacki whipped a backhand pass for a 3-1 tie break lead.
Four points from the final, the top seed watch as Kvitova caught fire. Unleashing five winners in the next six points, including four forehand down the line winners, Kvitova burst through the tie break to force the decider.
Kvitova cranked five times as many winners as the top seed (21 to 4) and broke serve three times taking the 65-minute second set.
Tension tightened Wozniacki’s right arm as she double faulted to face the first break point of the final set.
Kicking a wide serve, the top seed spun a forehand down the line to deny it. Wozniacki whipped a wide serve capping a hard-fought hold for 4-3.
Piling up the double faults, Kvitova withstood a two double fault game—her 10th and 11th of the match—twisting a wide serve to level after eight games with a determined shout.
Eyes riveted on the ball, Kvitova crunched a diagonal backhand return winner scoring the first break of the last set for 5-4.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
This time, Kvitova served for the match, but a defiant Wozniacki converted her third break point to break back for 5-all.
The explosive Kvitova amped up the volume of her shots again driving a forehand down the line before bolting a backhand down the opposite sideline for her second straight break and a 6-5 lead.
Caressing a beautiful backhand dropper that kissed the top of the tape and crawled over gave Kvitova a 30-15 lead. Two points later, Wozniacki floated a return as Kvitova completed a phenomenal fight in two hours, 35 minutes.