Petra Kvitova Beats Karolina Pliskova to Lift 15th WTA Title
While Karolina Pliskova may have made the biggest impression this week in Sydney, it was Petra Kvitova who got the final bow, as she defeated the Czech native in tight straight sets to lift the Apia Sydney International title.
The Czech No. 1 defeated a slew of opponents, including Shuai Peng, local prospect Gajdosova, defending champion Tsvetlana Pironkova and rising star Pliskova in the final. In that last match, she defeated her fellow countrywoman with a pair of tiebreaks 7-6(5), 7-6(6) to be crowned champion ahead of the Australian Open.
“First of all, great job this week,” Kvitova told Pliskova. “It’s always tough to play a final, and hopefully next time you’re going to win.”
This marked Kvitova’s 15th title on the WTA tour, as she won 1 in 2009, 6 in 2011 (including Wimbledon), 2 in 2012, 2 in 2013 and 3 in 2014 (including another Wimbledon). To add to her accomplishments, 12 of those titles came at the Premier level of higher.
“I’m glad I can stand here as the winner of this tournament,” Kvitova said. “For me, this week will always give me great memories in my mind.”
Pliskova will see herself rise to the Top 20 in the world for the first time in her career and will likely maintain that upwards climb through the ranks.
“Congratulations to Petra,” Pliskova said. “She had an amazing week. She was playing very well today and was definitely the better player out there, so I wish her good luck in Melbourne next week.”
