By Tennis Now | Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Kristyna Pliskova used a seven-game surge to take charge and converted her seventh match point toppling second-seeded Petra Kvitova, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3, in Charleston.
Photo credit: Tashkent Open
Kristyna Pliskova calmed late-match jitters stunning second-seeded Petra Kvitova in Charleston.
In an all-Czech clash of left-handers, Pliskova used a seven-game surge to take charge then converted her seventh match point upsetting Kvitova, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3, to reach the third round in Charleston.
More: Djokovic Splits With Stepanek
“I was so nerovus in the end,” Pliskova told Tennis Channel’s Steve Weissman afterward. “I mean it was like five, six, seven (match points). I lost so many matches like this last year and this year as well. So I was so happy she missed this one. It was like a big relief. I was so happy.”
The 77th-ranked Pliskova, who consulted with twin sister Karolina Pliskova for some tactical tips before the match, scored her second Top 10 victory of the season. She knocked off seventh-ranked Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko in Shenzen.
Two-time Wimbledon winner Kvitova was her own worst enemy at time, spraying her forehand beyond the baseline and into the net. Kvitova, who committed more than 35 unforced errors, dropped 11 of 13 games at one point.
Riding her slider serve, Pliskova reeled off seven straight games seventually seizing a 1-6, 6-1, 5-1 lead before Kvitova staged a mini comeback.
Cranking some crosscourt returns, Kvitova saved three match points breaking for 2-5.
Facing a fourth match point in the eighth game, Kvitova was up quickly to a slice return and slid a forehand down the line to deny it, eventually holding for 3-5.
Kvitova netted a return off a 79 mph second serve to face a fifth match point, but flicked another forehand winner to erase it. Launching a 114 mph ace, Pliskova earned her sixth match point only to see a sprinting Kvitova poke a forehand into the corner.
Catching up to a drop shot, Kvitova had an open court but over-hit her forehand gifting a seventh match point.
The seventh time was the charm as Pliskova curled a slice serve wide to close her third career Top 10 win.
"Petra is playing so well against Czech players," Pliskova said. "The start was not good, first set was horrible. I’m happy I won.
"My second Top 10 win (of the season), but I don’t think I was playing anything special this year," Pliskova said. "But this tournament I’m actually feeling pretty well so hopefully this is gonna be a quick turnaround. I feel like the clay here is pretty fast, not like the normal red clay, so I feel it's working well for my serve."
Pliskova will face 16th-seeded Russian Elena Vesnina next. The 2016 Olympic doubles gold medalist defeated American Taylor Townsend, 6-4, 6-1, in 80 minutes.
No. 8-seeded Anastasija Sevastova fought off 142nd-ranked qualifier Caroline Dolehide, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-1, in one hour, 58 minutes.
"We played pretty good; in the third set I think I was a little bit more confident," Sevastova said afterward. "(Har-Tru) is a bit different, but I grew up on clay so I feel comfortable on clay. It’s feeling how you move, how you slide, how to structure a point. More or less I like playing on clay; it’s not like I forgot (how to play on clay)."