Miami Open 2023: Petra Kvitova beats Elena Rybakina in straight sets to win title
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Among active players only Venus Williams (49) has won more WTA singles titles than Petra Kvitova (30)
Petra Kvitova claimed her maiden Miami Open title with an impressive straight-set victory over Elena Rybakina.
Following a marathon 30-point first-set tie-break, Kvitova faced few problems in the second and sealed a 7-6 (16-14) 6-2 win.
It ended a 13-match winning streak for Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who was chasing the Sunshine Double after triumphing at Indian Wells last month.
Russian Daniil Medvedev plays Italy's Jannik Sinner in Sunday's men's final.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Kvitova, 33, will move back into the world's top 10 for the first time since September 2021 with the 1,000 ranking points which accompanied her victory, in addition to $1.26m (£1.02m) in prize money.
Reaching the Miami final for the first time in 13 attempts - the 41st final of her career - the Czech produced a clinical display against a player boasting the most main-draw wins (21) on the WTA Tour this year in Kazakhstan's Rybakina.
After failing to serve out the opening set at 5-4, Kvitova eventually prevailed in a remarkable 22-minute tie-break, which swung back and forth until she took her fifth set-point opportunity - having faced five herself.
World number seven Rybakina, 23, was unable to respond and her bid to become only the fifth woman to achieve the Sunshine Double soon faded.
Establishing a 3-0 second-set lead after clinching an early break, Kvitova twice held serve to love and broke Rybakina again to seal her ninth WTA 1000 title, and biggest victory since Madrid in 2018.
"The tie-break, oh my god, it was probably the longest in my career and somehow I managed it," Kvitova said.
"She had so many aces at the beginning of the tie-break that I couldn't even play. So it was really difficult, and amazing."
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