Kvitova makes experience count to spring upset

Petra Kvitova said she drew on her deep well of experience to come through an epic first-set tiebreaker and upset Elena Rybakina 7-6 (14),6-2 for her first Miami Open title on Saturday.

The 33-year-old Czech, who is 10 years older than her opponent, kept her nerve in the match's biggest moments to claim her 30th career title and ninth WTA 1000 crown.

"Experience today played a good role in my mind," Kvitova told reporters after the match.

"I played so many finals. I know I can play well in the final no matter who I'm facing. Mentally it was very important for me to know that."

The former world No 2, who had contemplated retirement last year, said her two weeks in Miami as well as her run to the quarterfinals of Indian Wells had left her "really happy and very exhausted".

The loss snapped Indian Wells champion Rybakina's 13-match win streak and ended her hopes of claiming the "Sunshine Double" by winning both hard-court events.

"This means a lot," Kvitova said.

"The young ones are coming up all the time. It's tough to face them all. It's very tiring," she said with a smile.

With the win Kvitova became the second-oldest woman to triumph at the Miami Open, after Serena Williams in 2015. She will now return to the top 10 for the first time since September 2021.

"I take it as a positive I can still play with the best," said Kvitova, who earned a $1.26 million first prize. "I take pride, even at my age, I could win big tournaments."

A past Wimbledon champion, the 6-foot (1.83 meters) Kvitova won the epic first-set tiebreaker 16-14 on her fifth set point. A suddenly shaky Rybakina hit a forehand long to end the 22-minute tiebreaker; she had been undefeated at 7-0 in tiebreakers in 2023.

"The tiebreaker was going to decide the whole match," Kvitova said. "The tiebreaker — oh, by God — was the longest in my career. I won the tiebreaker so emotionally I was on the better side. You could see the balls after the tiebreak. They were big fluffy balls."

Rybakina, who won at Indian Wells, admitted to fatigue after the tiebreaker from the travel. The women's tour will shortly head to Europe for the clay-court season.

"The second set I think overall it was not easy after the first set," Rybakina said. "I think the second she was also more free to hit, to maybe risk a bit more. I think that in the second I just didn't stay disciplined and was a bit rushing."

The set lasted 66 minutes during which each player held serve until 4-4 then exchanged service breaks. Rybakina finished with 10 aces for the first set while setting the record for most aces in a WTA tournament, smashing Madison Keys' mark. Rybakina, who hit 12 aces in the match, finished the tournament with 69 for the tournament.

Kvitova broke Rybakina in the second game of the second set with a backhand winner on the service return to go up 2-0 and the streak was soon over for Rybakina.

"Maybe if the first set had gone my way it would've been different," Rybakina said. "Because I was physically tired and that's why I didn't have discipline."

Agencies