Czech Petra Kvitova won her first Grand Slam title with a straight-sets victory over former champion Maria Sharapova for the Wimbledon singles title.
Sharapova, champion in 2004 and a three-time Grand Slam winner, had not dropped a set coming into Saturday’s final against the 21-year-old Czech.
The eighth seed, who reached the semi-finals 12 months ago having never previously won a match on grass, served well and maintained a constant attack of powerful groundstrokes to become only the third left hander to win the title after Anne Jones and Martina Navratilova.
Russian fifth seed gave a determined display but was hampered by her unreliable serve, racking up six double faults but she had no answer to Kvitova, with the left-hander winning her first Grand Slam final 6-3 6-4.
Kvitova looked nervous before a ball was struck and, after Sharapova won the toss and opted to receive, promptly dropped serve but the 21-year-old broke back straightaway as Sharapova’s service troubles were apparent, taking prolonged breaks to compose herself between points.
The crucial game of the first set was the sixth, Kvitova taking it to open a 4-2 advantage courtesy of consecutive Sharapova double faults. Kvitova then closed out the set and broke immediately at the start of the second.
Sharapova somehow fought her way back to 3-3 after Kvitova went 2-0 as both players struggled to hold on their own delivery.
Return winner never stopped coming from Kvitova and she broke Sharapova again for 4-3.
It was 5-3 lead before Sharapova rallied again for the final time, holding to at least make her opponent serve out the match.
Kvitova wrapped up the match impressively, going 40-0 up before unleashing an ace down the middle, her first of the match, to clinch victory in less than one hour and 30 minutes.
She is the first Czech since Jana Novotna in 1998 – both of whom were in the crowd.
Main picture courtesy of Emmett Hume via Wikimedia Commons
