Gaz de France Open: Petra Kvitova upsets Kim Clijsters in final
Czech Petra Kvitova’s strong start to the season continued in Paris as she stunned the Australian Open 2011 Champion Kim Clijsters in straight sets in the final of the Gaz de France Open on Sunday.
Kvitova made a very positive start to the match breaking Clijsters’ serve in the very first game. Although that was followed by her immediate service loss, Kvitova kept finding winning ways. The Czech broke the serve again in the seventh game to lead by
4-3 and then held on to win the first set 6-4 in just 30 minutes, showing no signs of nerves.
Kvitova was equally good in the second set breaking Clijsters’ serve twice as she brushed aside the newly crowned world number one 6-4, 6-3 in the final. For her remarkable accomplishment, the Czech also bagged up the prize money of US $103,000 and 470 Sony
Ericsson WTA singles ranking points.
This was Kvitova’s third Women Tennis Association career title. Earlier in 2011, she defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 6-3 in the final and also reached the quarterfinal of the Australian Open 2011. Her recent performances have guaranteed her a place in the
WTA top 15.
Kvitova dedicated her win to her “beloved grandfather” who passed away recently. During the presentation ceremony, she congratulated Kim Clijsters on becoming the new WTA World number 1 who will be replacing Caroline Wozniacki in the latest rankings.
On the other hand, Kim Clijsters had a tough time finding the rhythm and form. She broke Kvitova on a couple of occasions to stay in the match but a very high unforced-error-percentage meant that she was always fighting a losing battle. She missed an easy
forehand volley during the first set that allowed Kvitova to dominate in the match later on.
The newly crowned Australian Open champion, who was the clear crowd favourite in the final, thanked her supporters and praised the Czech for her splendid effort.
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