Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova defeated Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to win her very first Miami Open title.
The 15th seed earned a 7-6(14) 6-2 win during the final which featured a gruelling 22-minute first-set tiebreak.
Both Kvitova and Rybakina started the match undeterred, holding serves for 4-4 before trading breaks. The real drama occurred in the see-sawing tiebreaker with both women coming close to taking the lead.
In the end, Rybakina failed to convert five-set points allowing the two-time Wimbledon champion to steal a march on her.
The 66-minute opening frame seemed to affect the Indian Wells champion more as Kvitova broke her in just the second game of the following set to regulate the tone. The 33-year-old did not relent before breaking Rybakina for a third time on match point to seal an improbable win.
The Miami Open title is the 9th time Petra Kvitova has won a WTA 1000 series crown and is her 30th total in her illustrious career. She will also enter the top 10 rankings in the world for the first time since 2021.
Her victory also ended Rybakina’s 13-match win streak and prevented her from winning the Sunshine Double of Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
The WTA Tour will now move to Europe for the clay court season.
