By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, January 19, 2019
Petra Kvitova schooled Amanda Anisimova, 6-2, 6-1, scoring her ninth straight win to roar into the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time in seven years.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Youthful fearlessness can be a scary proposition.
Petra Kvitova learned that lesson last March in Indian Wells.
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That day, 16-year-old wild card Amanda Anisimova hit Kvitova off the court snapping the Czech's 14-match winning streak in stunning style.
A streaking Kvitova reeled off six straight games schooling the American teenager in today's rematch, 6-2, 6-1, to roar into the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time in seven years.
The red-hot Sydney champion stretched her winning streak to nine matches advancing to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since the 2017 US Open.
The two-time Wimbledon winner unleashed her lethal lefty slice serve and Anisimova never quite adjusted to the side-spinning serve that always seemed to run away from her.
"It's always pressure out there when you're the favorite of the match and you never know how the young players are playing and they are just here and nothing to lose," Kvitova said. "They are playing really fearless and that's how I do remember myself when I was younger. So yeah, it's kind of difficult."
A flawless Kvitova served 86 percent, won 83 percent of first-serve points (25 of 30) and did not face a break point in a masterful 59-minute dissection.
The 2012 semifinalist surrendered just seven points on serve, winning 12 of 14 service points in a dominant second set.
A commanding Kvitova has not dropped a set in four tournament wins.
In fact, she's won 18 of 19 sets she's played in 2019 with her lone lost set coming in a 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3) triumph over Aussie Ash Barty in the Sydney final.
So what's next?
A rematch with the Australian No. 1. Barty beat back five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, in two hours, 22 minutes, to reach her first career major quarterfinal.
Anismova announced herself as an elite talent last March in the desert. She had played just four Tour-level main-draw matches in her life when she snapped Kvitová's 14-match winning streak in Indian Wells.
This was a much more confident Kvitova.
"I played much better than the last year that's for sure," Kvitova said. "I knew it would be a tough match for me. Someone that you lost to before it's always gonna be difficult to play her again. I started pretty well and the nerves went out a little bit for me and it was much better afterwards."
The eighth-seeded Czech broke to open, zapped an ace to consolidate and cruised to a 3-1 lead.
The 87th-ranked Anisimova, who committed just eight unforced errors hammering out a 6-3, 6-2 upset of 11th-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in round three, hit nine errors through the first five games today. Still, the 17-year-old Floridian worked through a scrappy seven-minute hold for 2-3.
Stepping into the court, Kvitova curled her crosscourt forehand with conviction. The angle and accuracy of that stroke sent Anisimova darting into the doubles alley chasing the ball. Nine of Kvitova's 18 winners came off the forehand.
The 28-year-old Kvitova knocked out a second break in the seventh game.
Kvitova cruised through a love hold snatching the 32-minute opening set on the strength of sharp first-serve, first-strike attack.
Repeatedly hooking her slider serve into the teenager's two-handed backhand, Kvitova served 86 percent and won 16 of 21 points played on her serve.
The fluidity Anisimova showed on serve against the dangerous Sabalenka was missing against the smooth Kvitova.
Midway through the second set, her serve grew stilted as Kvitova crunched crosscourt returns and some blistering returns that dive-bombed near the teenager's shoelaces.
Unloading a heavy forehand, Kvitova followed it forward for a churning forehand drive volley breaking for a fourth time imposing a 4-1 lead.
Shots streamed off Kvitová's Wilson racquet like all the right answers on a test. Catching her opponent running to the open court, Kvitova crunched a crafty backhand behind her closing a love hold for 5-1.