Petra Kvitova denies Elena Rybakina her Sunshine Double, becomes oldest woman since Serena Williams to lift Miami Open title
Petra Kvitova pulled off an incredible victory over Elena Rybakina in the final of the 2023 Miami Open, registering her maiden title at the WTA 1000 event in her 13th appearance.
By doing so, the Czech also dashed Rybakina's hopes of becoming the 12th player overall and only the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double. Having won the Indian Wells Open in dominant fashion last month, the Kazakh was hoping to join the list of high-profile women to achieve the feat, which so far only includes Victoria Azarenka, Iga Swiatek, Steffi Graf, and Kim Clijsters.
Against Rybakina on Saturday, Kvitova prevailed 7-6(14) in the first set in an extraordinary tiebreaker, following which she made short work of the 10th seed in the second. Two breaks of serve allowed the 33-year-old to finish off the set 6-2, handing the reigning Wimbledon champion a straight-sets loss.
Petra Kvitova thereby became the oldest female player to lift the title at the Miami Open since Serena Williams in 2015 -- the American's eighth at the event. Since then, the title has shifted hands to Victoria Azarenka, Johanna Konta, Sloane Stephens, Ashleigh Barty (twice), and Iga Swiatek, before resting in Kvitova's lap.
The victory marked the former World No. 2's 30th WTA Tour title (first since the 2022 Eastbourne International) and her ninth at the WTA 1000 level. Her previous WTA 1000 title came at the 2018 Madrid Open, following which the southpaw lost three finals, at the 2019 Dubai Tennis Championships, the 2020 Qatar Open, and the 2022 Cincinnati Open.
Petra Kvitova's path to the 2023 Miami Open
Following a bye in the first round, 15th seed Petra Kvitova defeated compatriot Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-0 in her opener, followed by 6-4, 7-6(3) and 7-5, 7-6(5) wins over Donna Vekic and Varvara Gracheva.
In the quarterfinals, Kvitova took on Ekaterina Alexandrova, a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory for the Czech that saw her lose her first and only set in the tournament. Sorana Cirstea was the challenger in the semifinals, whom the 33-year-old took down 7-5, 6-4 in another dominant display.
Finally, Elena Rybakina fell 7-6(14), 6-2 in the summit clash to hand the former World No. 2 her biggest trophy in five years. Kvitova will now turn her attention to the clay swing like the rest of the tour, where she has been fairly successful. The southpaw will be hoping to do better at the French Open this year, having faced second-round exits in the previous two years.