Petra Kvitova won the Miami Open in her 13th appearance, beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (14), 6-2 in Saturday’s final, with a marathon tiebreaker in the first set.
The 33-year-old Czech, 10 less than Rybakina, ended a 13-win streak and prevented her from winning double titles in Indian Wells and Miami.
Kvitova, seeded 12th, showed will, steely defense and a terrific forehand to pick up winners in a decisive run that had the crowd raving in the second set. The lefty thus won her 30th WTA singles title.
After the Kazakh’s forehand shot went wide at match point, Kvitova raised her arms and raised her hands to her head. She suffered only one break in the match.
It was Kvitova’s 41st WTA finals appearance, but only her first in Miami.
The Czech had disagreed with the announcement that Wimbledon would accept Russian players this year. Rybakina, the defending champion of the tournament, is a naturalized, born in Moscow.
