SYDNEY, Australia - No.5 seed Petra Kvitova had been forced to hang around for nearly five hours to begin her Sydney International semifinal - and was in no mood to extend that any further than necessary in overpowering qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2 in one hour and six minutes.
Read more: Top 5 WTA Upsets 2018 (No.1): Sasnovich shocks title favorite Kvitova in Wimbledon opener
The win was sweet revenge for the No.1 WTA Upset of 2018, a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 Wimbledon stunner in which Sasnovich had dismissed the Czech - the favorite for the title - in the very first round. Today, after heavy rain had prevented the match from starting until nearly midnight local time, Kvitova was razor-sharp in preventing a repeat, striking 22 winners and maintaining her focus throughout.
What a way save break point! 😲
Brilliant from @Petra_Kvitova! #SydneyTennis pic.twitter.com/hIh04MBY5q— WTA (@WTA) January 11, 2019
The very first point of today's tilt was a booming backhand winner from the two-time Wimbledon champion - a foreshadowing of what was to come, as that wing rose to the occasion to become the star of this late-night show. A battering of brutal backhands broke the Belarusian from 40-0 up in the second game, a superlative angle off that side saved the first of three break points en route to a hold for 4-1, and three more backhand bangers - down the line, crosscourt, down the line - snatched a second break for 5-1.
In total, 10 of Kvitova's 11 winners in the opening set came from the backhand - and, paired with clutch serving whenever Sasnovich threatened a momentum shift, it made for one-way traffic over the course of 30 minutes.
Wow! 🔥
What a point from @Petra_Kvitova! #SydneyTennis pic.twitter.com/BhJ5bofO9s— WTA (@WTA) January 11, 2019
The World No.30 did not play badly by any means, and came up with several shots for the highlight reel: a canny dropshot here, a smoothly struck groundstroke winner there. But Kvitova, who came up with a ridiculous backhand pass en route to holding for 1-1 in the second set, was irresistible.
In the fifth game, her forehand joined the party, pummeling a spectacular return winner to reach break point and ultimately capturing the Sasnovich serve with a cleverly constructed point that the former World No.2 finished neatly at net.
.@Petra_Kvitova with the outrageous shot! 😀#SydneyTennis pic.twitter.com/QwbTNWr7wu
— WTA (@WTA) January 11, 2019
Unable to find any sustained answers to the barrage, Sasnovich began hitting out too wildly and too soon, attempting high-risk shots even as she was being pushed back on her feet by her opponent's power. Errant forehands put last year's Brisbane runner-up down another double break, and Kvitova closed the contest out on her third match point with another booming serve to set up a repeat of the 2017 Birmingham final against local favorite Ashleigh Barty.
Former champion @Petra_Kvitova has booked her place in the @SydneyTennis final!
Gets the win over Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2! pic.twitter.com/ShMtOVc48n— WTA (@WTA) January 11, 2019