Wuhan, China — Petra Kvitova’s opponents know the drill all too well – that when she is on, she is virtually impossible to beat.
Unfortunately for Simona Halep, the Romanian was on the receiving end of an ultimate Kvitova beat-down on Friday in Wuhan that saw the Czech triumph 6-1, 6-2 to reach her first final of 2016.
In a difficult year that saw her part ways with two different coaches and slip down the rankings, out of the top-10, Kvitova has caught fire ever since she won Olympic bronze in Rio last month, and she has been in peak form this week in Wuhan, where she took out world No1 Angelique Kerber, followed by world No13 Johanna Konta, before crushing the fourth-seeded Halep on Friday night.
The Czech two-time Wimbledon champion has hit 115 winners in her last three matches and is hoping to catch her first title since New Haven last year with victory over Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova, who overcame Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 yesterday.
“She played really well today. She hit the ball very strong and with power. She didn’t miss. It was tough to do something else,” admitted Halep, who was 3-0 against Kvitova prior to Friday’s match.
The 16th-ranked Kvitova, who could rise to No11 should she win today, did not have a new game plan that saw her end her hoodoo against Halep, but admits she had picked up lots of confidence from her wins over Kerber and Konta. She also said Rio was a turning point for her.
“The season wasn’t the best, but I will never change it for anything else. I mean, the bronze medal is this year. In a way, if I lost all first rounds, and I have a medal, I don’t really care. That’s what’s important,” said the 26-year-old. “From that time (in Rio) I felt better, as well, like mentally, and the confidence was there. I played great matches in Rio. I think that helped me for the tournaments after Rio.”
Kvitova got off to a lightning start as she opened up a 4-0 gap and she soon had a one-set lead.
She broke in the third game of the second set then got triple-break point in game five with a brilliant backhand return winner. Halep saved all three though with some clutch serving.
Kvitova got a fourth break point of the game with a 137km/hr forehand winner and converted with another monster forehand for a 4-1 lead.
Halep saved a match point in the seventh game with a bizarre serve-and-volley point, her volley awkwardly-hit and looping high, but it caught Kvitova on the backspin, leaving the Czech applauding her opponent. Halep held for 2-5.
Serving for the match in game eight, Kvitova fell behind 15-40. She saved both break points though and sealed the deal to reach her first final of 2016.
Well, that was wild! 😆 #WuhanOpenTennis pic.twitter.com/RtwdoSRGsW
— WTA (@WTA) September 30, 2016
“It was amazing, so… Yeah, I smiled. I mean, if I’m her, I will not have this idea,” said Kvitova of that strange Halep volley.
Asked if she was trying to do something different at that point against Kvitova, Halep replied: “I tried, but was too late to change something at 6-1, 5-1. It’s a bit too late with someone that is playing this way. But it was nice and I felt well at that ball.”
Cibulkova, who will return to the top-10 when the new rankings come out on Monday, had played and won two singles matches on Thursday (including one three-setter) due to rain that upset the schedule, yet found it in her to return the next day and beat Kuznetsova to move into her fifth final of the season.
The Slovak had slept at 4:30am after finish both matches, talking to the press, taking an ice bath and doing work with her physio and says she’s been trying to stay focused on her tennis rather on how exhausted she felt.
“I can’t even describe how I’m happy that I was able to play this tennis today so good and so powerful. You know, I’m just playing a good tennis, and that’s what keeps me going,” said Cibulkova, who spent five months out of the game last year recovering from surgery on her heel.
She did it: Dominika Cibulkova (Credit: Visual China Group)
“It’s just great (that I’m in my fifth final of the year). I always thought about myself, like I’m a good player, I can beat top players. But I was missing consistency in my game. This is the first year that I’m really consistent playing the whole year.”
On their parts, both Halep and Kuznetsova leave Wuhan with plenty to be happy about.
“I’m going to Singapore,” beamed Halep when asked what positives she can take away from her week in central China.
The Romanian secured her qualification spot at the WTA Finals in Singapore by virtue of her semi-final appearance.
“I played semis, the best result here in China. I played good matches, good tennis. Even today I’m not negative. I cannot be. I played tough matches in the last months, and all were very, very good. So I’m okay,” said Halep.
Kuznetsova, who will rise to her highest ranking in over six years (No7 if Cibulkova loses the final, No8 if she wins it), is also pleased with her performances in Wuhan.
“It’s a positive week, you know, to play semis here. It’s a good thing. It’s good consistency that I’m getting already to the semifinals, beating top-10 players, being in top 10. I like it. So next step is to go more for it,” said the Russian former world No2.
