Petra Kvitova continues with her slump of form this season: (Part One) – Tennis Special
2011 WTA season was rocked by some of the most eye-startling performances from the Czech number one, Petra Kvitova. The 22-year-old has been one of the brightest prospects of the last season and has taken the sport to a whole new
level in her country. However, she has failed to sustain her sublime run of form in the current season and has been suffering from a terrible slump since the beginning of the 2012 professional circuit.
Starting off the 2011 season as the world number 34, no one expected Kvitova to rise through the rankings chart with such rapid pace. The Czech starlet had a blasting start to the professional circuit when she won the season-opening
Brisbane International championship title after dumping a number of superior-ranked opponents. It was the ideal start to the season for Kvitova and she beat all the odds to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the first time. Her voyage was
hampered by the then world number two, Vera Zvonareva of Russia, in straight sets, 2-6, 4-6.
Kvitova then took her national responsibility of taking part in the Fed Cup campaign and won the both singles rubbers against the Slovak opponents in straight sets. She carried on with her winning impetus in the WTA event in Paris,
stunning the then world number one, Kim Clijsters, 6-4, 6-3, in the final to claim her second title of the season. Her title victory over Clijsters was seen as a confidence booster for the Czech, who reached the 14th rank in the WTA charts, but
it went the other way round.
The Czech youngster fell cheaply in several tournaments to follow and slipped down the rankings once again. She suffered defeats in her opening encounters in Dubai, Indian Wells Masters and Nassau; followed by a third round defeat
at the Miami Masters, which pushed her to the world number 18 spot. Kvitova finally got back in form at the Fed Cup ties against Belgium and won the two crucial singles rubbers to ensure her side to victory.
She found her winning groove at the WTA Premier-level event in Madrid and unleashed her rage mode to upset the Top-10 contenders like Vera Zvonareva, Li Na and Victoria Azarenka to win the coveted championship title. Kvitova continued
her momentum in her campaign at Prague but lost the final of the tournament at the hands of Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. Nevertheless, she broke into the Top-10 for the first time.
Kvitova lasted until the fourth round of the Roland Garros French Open before falling to the eventual champion, Li Na of China. The Czech tennis sensation entered the grass court tournament in Eastbourne but fall to Marion Bartoli
of France in the final of the event.
The biggest breakthrough of her career came at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, where she beat all the odds to reach the final of her first Grand Slam tournament. She faced the former champion, Maria Sharapova, in the title match
and claimed glory after dumping the hot favourite Russian in straight set, 6-3, 6-4.
Kvitova failed to perform well at the US Open but won back-to-back titles at Linz and the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul to reach the world number two spot. She finished the 2011 season by bringing home the coveted
Fed Cup trophy by defeating the hot favourite Russian squad.
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