Petra Kvitova won her first Grand Slam title June 02 by beating Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 in the Wimbledon final, and then dropped to her knees in disbelief.
Kvitova was playing in her first major final, but it was three-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova that showed her nerves. The 2004 Wimbledon champion double-faulted six times, including twice to get broken to 4-2 in the first set.
The 21-year-old Kvitova is the first left-handed woman to win the Wimbledon title since Martina Navratilova in 1990.
Using a fast-paced and well-placed forehand, Kvitova did little wrong on Centre Court as Czech greats Navratilova and Jana Novotna sat in the Royal Box with a host of other former Wimbledon champions.
Kvitova kept Sharapova on the run with 18 winners, and never seemed to lose confidence despite being broken three times.
Sharapova was the clear favorite entering the match. Besides winning the title at the All England Club in 2004, she also won the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. Shoulder surgery in October 2008 slowed her career, but she returned to the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2008 at the French Open last month.
Maria Sharapova
Her shrieks and grunts aside, Sharapova is a class player who likes the big occasions. If she can beat Kvitova, it will be the Russian's first Grand Slam since Australia in 2008 and her second Wimbledon; her first was way back in 2004, when she announced herself on the world stage.
Petra Kvitova
Touted by many to be the next big thing in women's tennis, not necessarily a good moniker these days, Kvitova has gradually grown into the tournament and accounted for Belarus's no. 4 seed Victoria Azarenka in the semifinal. While this match may have come too soon for Kvitova, do keep an eye out for her.
Hello and welcome to The Hindu's live coverage of the Wimbledon women's final between Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova.
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