By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday June 30, 2022
Paula Badosa and Petra Kvitova set a titanic third-round clash at Wimbledon.
Photo Source: Getty
Paula Badosa and Petra Kvitova both came through in straight sets on Day 4 to set a heavily anticipated third-round clash.
Badosa, first up on No.2 Court, defeated Romania’s Irina Bara, 6-3, 6-2, while Kvitova, opening the day on No.3 court, battled past another Romanian, Ana Bogdan, 6-1, 7-6(5).
Kvitova seemed to be headed to a lopside win but she struggled to close out the 111-ranked 29-year-old.
The 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion served for the match at 5-2 and again at 5-4, and even had a match point at 5-4, 40-30, but suddenly Bogdan stormed back.
“I didn’t serve it out twice,” Kvitova said. “I should have really lost the second set after this.”
Not to worry, Kvitova saved a set point while serving at 5-6 and made it through the second-set tiebreak to improve to 35-11 lifetime at Wimbledon.
“I somehow made it,” she said. “The tiebreak was very tight as well.”
Kvitova has only been to the round of 16 once since she won the title in 2014.
“Somehow I made it,” she said. “I don’t know how, but I did it.”
Badosa, seeded No.4, is into the round of 16 for the second consecutive year. She hit 22 winners against 20 unforced errors to win in 72 minutes.
Kvitova won the pair’s only previous meeting, 7-5, 7-5, at the 2020 Australian Open.