Petra Kvitova secured her spot in the fourth round of Wimbledon with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Serbian qualifier Natalija Stevanovic in a rain-disrupted match on Saturday. It marks only the second time since her championship win nine years ago that the Czech ninth seed has reached this stage at the All England Club.
In a tightly contested first set, Kvitova had to overcome four set points before sealing the set with Stevanovic’s service return going long. The match was briefly interrupted by rain as dark clouds loomed over Court Two. In the second set, Stevanovic became visibly frustrated when Hawkeye confirmed her ace, but the umpire ruled that the point had to be replayed due to a linesperson’s call potentially affecting Kvitova’s return. Distracted by the incident, Stevanovic struggled and was broken by Kvitova, who showcased her powerful attacking game.
Although Stevanovic managed to break back, she found it challenging to handle Kvitova’s firepower and dropped her serve again, trailing 2-3. However, Kvitova experienced a dip in her serve, allowing Stevanovic to take a 5-4 lead just as rain forced a two-hour break. When play resumed, Kvitova demonstrated her determination to capitalize on her strengths. The final game became an intense battle of wills, with Stevanovic pushing Kvitova to her limits. Despite saving three match points, Stevanovic couldn’t withstand Kvitova’s persistence, and the Czech player secured the victory on her fourth attempt.
With her win, Kvitova advances to the last 16, where she will face either 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu or Tunisian sixth seed Ons Jabeur. Reflecting on her achievement, Kvitova expressed her joy at reaching the second week of Wimbledon after a long time and emphasized her love for playing on grass, particularly when her serve is working well. She is currently on an eight-match winning streak after claiming the grasscourt title in Berlin.
