Kvitova advances

Doha : Petra Kvitova took home her 21st title at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy two weeks ago, and already appears ready for WTA title No.22 at the Qatar Total Open, earning a 6-0, 6-3 first round victory over wildcard Cagla Buyukakcay in under an hour.

The two-time Wimbledon champion spent the weekend in Prague, contributing a pair of singles wins to lead team Czech Republic to a 3-1 Fed Cup decision against Switzerland, and extended her winning streak to eight in a row yesterday, striking 34 winners to just 15 unforced errors.

“I’ve gotten some sleep, just a little bit. I’m happy to be here; it was definitely a tough schedule for me, but getting an eighth win is something really nice for me. It’s been super really long since I’ve had such a good run. I’m just trying to continue with that.”

Buyukakcay made a career breakthrough in Doha back in 2016, upsetting then-World No.7 Lucie Safarova en route to the Round of 16 - later winning her maiden WTA title at home in Istanbul - and kept things close in the second set, twice exchanging breaks with Kvitova, but the Czech star proved too strong, converting six of seven break point opportunities and hitting four aces to close out the match in 56 minutes.

“It was my biggest motivation to be back playing on the tennis court, competing against the best players,” Kvitova said of her five month injury hiatus in 2017, when she recovered from a devastating hand injury incurred over the off-season. “The dream came true, so I’m happy to be in the draw again.”

Up next for Kvitova is a fellow former World No.2 and longtime rival, Agnieszka Radwanska. The duo have played 11 times - the first time nearly a decade ago in 2009 - and though Kvitova leads the head-to-head 6-5, Radwanska has won the last three, most recently at the 2016 Connecticut Open in New Haven.

“Familiar player,” Kvitova mused. “We know each other so well on the court and off, as well. She’s a pretty challenging player with great touch. I never know what’s coming from her, so I’ll try to be ready for everything.”

Earlier in the day, Kristina Mladenovic maintained her return to form with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Peng Shuai. The reigning Australian Open women’s doubles champ won all three rubbers in France’s Fed Cup tie against Belgium, including a deciding doubles match against Elise Mertens and Kirsten Flipkens.