Petra Kvitova crushes Serena Williams to reach Madrid Open final
Petra Kvitova continued her terrific run at the Madrid Open as she registered a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win over Serena Williams in the semifinals.
The World No. 1 struggled on serve getting just 55% of her first serves in for the match. Kvitova did not let Serena settle into any kind of rhythm as she managed to hit winners off both wings at will. Kvitova broke Serena’s serve thrice in the opening set with several deep returns to the American’s forehand.
The Czech did not let go of the momentum as she broke Serena’s serve in the opening game of the second set. Although the 19-time Grand Slam champion managed to break back in the eighth game, it was too late as Kvitova served out the match without any difficulty.
Serena won just 24% of first return points and converted two of her six break point opportunities. This is Serena’s first loss this year and Kvitova’s first win over the American in six meetings.Kvitova will take on Svetlana Kuznetsova who took out defending champion Maria Sharapova in the other semifinal.
The World No. 1 will look to bounce back at the Rome Masters starting next week.