Kvitova overpowers Sharapova to win 2001 Wimbledon title
July 2nd, 2011 - 10:23 pm ICT by IANS
London, July 2 (IANS) Petra Kvitova defeated Russia’s Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 to lift the Wimbledon women’s singles title here Saturday and become the first Czech woman to win the prestigious event since Jana Novotna in 1998.
Kvitova, playing in her first Grand Slam final, got the better of the 2004 champion courtesy her powerful serve and lethal forehand.
Kvitova, 21, rated the final the best match of her career so far and said the presence of her idol and nine-time Wimbledon Martina Navratilova added to her motivation to win the coveted crown.
“It’s great to play in front of these great players sitting in the Royal Box. I was nervous initially but I had to focus on each point,” said Kvitova during the prize distribution ceremony.
Sharapova, who had won the title here as 17-year-old, said she was happy to make the finals after a long gap and will try to do one better in the next edition.
“I have always had amazing support from the crowd here. She (Kvtiova) played some great tennis throughout the tournament and deserved to win today. It was good to be back in the final and hopefully I can win the bigger trophy next year,” said Sharapova, who last won a Grand Slam in 2008 when she won the Australian Open.
Kvitova, seeded eighth, had beaten higher-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the semifinal while Sharapova eliminated wildcard Sabine Lisicki from Germany.
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Tags: 17 year old, australian open, czech woman, forehand, gap, grand slam, jana novotna, long gap, maria sharapova, martina navratilova, match, motivation, petra, prestigious event, prize distribution, sabine lisicki, victoria azarenka, wimbledon, wimbledon title, wimbledon women