By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, May 28, 2017
No. 15-seeded Petra Kvitova launched her comeback with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Julia Boserup at Roland Garros.
Photo credit: Roland Garros
The final shot found the net. Petra Kvitova dropped her racquet, flashed a wide smile and opened her heart.
Playing her first match since November, Kvitova spent her comeback getting her feet wet and emotions tested.
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Kvitova cracked 31 winners, including nine aces, powering past American Julia Boserup, 6-3, 6-2, to become the first seeded player to advance to the Roland Garros second round.
The victim of a horrific home invasion last year, Kvitova suffered stab wounds to her left hand that required a three-hour plus surgery in December to repair ligament and tendon damage.
Though she only practiced a few weeks before Paris and lacks full feeling in one finger, Kvitova moved well, struck with ambition, saved all three break points she faced and beamed with joy afterward.
“It’s a pleasure to be here,” Kvitova told Court Philippe-Chatrier fans and her supporters in her on-court interview with Marion Bartoli afterward. “I'm really glad to have made the decision that I'm going to play here. Thank you for everything—you helped me through this difficult time.
"I'm glad with how I played today. There are a few things to improve but what can I expect after such a long time."
The 15th-seeded Czech’s entire support team—including her parents Jiri and Pavla, brothers Jiri and Libor and friend and sometime Fed Cup teammate Lucie Hradecka—wore black t-shirts emblazoned with the words “Courage, Belief, Pojd”, a Czech word for “come on.”
“With the heart, anything is possible,” Kvitova said. “We didn’t have a lot of time to practice—I think we practice two or three weeks maximum. I’m glad how I played today. There are a few things to improve, but you can expect that.
“I think it doesn’t matter how I played, I won so I’m happy for that.”
The two-time Wimbledon champion looked eager and excited racing out to a 3-0 lead.
Boserup banged the ball with more vigor fighting off three break points to hold for 1-3 then tested Kvitova.
The left-hander denied two break points extending her lead to 4-1. On her fifth set point, Kvitova curled a forehand crosscourt, seizing the 40-minute first set with a 19 to 4 edge in winners.
Kvitova broke to start the second set and held a 6-3, 2-0 lead when a brief rain shower interrupted play.
When play resumed, Kvitova continued to hit with confidence and depth. A scorching backhand return down the line gave Kvitova her third break and a 5-2 second-set lead.
"I did surprise myself, I have to say," Kvitova told Tennis Channel's Jon Wertheim afterward. "It was the best play I did in five-and-a-half months. I'm glad the serve was there. From the beginning, it was a little tricky with the serve, but I find the rhythm. The forehand was there.
"So I'm really glad my big shots where there. It gives me some confidence and happiness inside."
The 85th-ranked Boserup pasted a forehand into net as Kvitova dropped her racquet and smiled to her supporters wrapping up a clean 73-minute victory to reach the second round for the eighth time in nine appearances in Paris.
"I thought I was gonna step on the court and be emotional, maybe I gonna start to cry," Kvitova said. "But I didn't. I was just happy to be back, to see the crowd, to see my full box and the people who really support me all the time, thorugh a difficult time.
"I was emotional in the end."
Kvitova will play either American Bethanie Mattek-Sands or Russian Evgeniya Rodina in round two.