Petra Kvitova launched her return on the red clay of Roland Garros.
Kvitova’s comeback has truly taken flight on the grass of Birmingham.
Watch: Barty To Face Kvitova in Birmingham
The two-time Wimbledon champion advanced to the Aegon Classic final in just her second tournament of the season.
"I couldn't have imagined to have a better comeback than I am having now,” Kvitova said. “You know, Paris was a bit weird and strange, and I couldn't play the best over there. I am happy that I am able to show good tennis here.”
The seventh-seeded Czech held a 6-1, 1-0 lead over friend and compatriot Lucie Safarova, who retired after struggling through eight games with a right leg injury.
Safarova played with strapping around her right leg after suffering a strain in her epic three hour, three minute triumph over Daria Gavrilova yesterday.
The left-handed Kvitova suffered tendon and ligament damage to her racquet hand in a horrific home-invasion stabbing last year. Following a three-and-a-half hour surgery and months of rehab, she wasn’t sure what level of tennis she could produce.
Showing her familiar first-strike tennis on Birmingham’s lawn, Kvitova has exceeded her own expectations.
“It's a new experience for every member of my team,” Kvitova said. “We've been through difficult times, and nobody expected that. I think it's just something what makes us stronger, I think, and I could never expect anybody to play in my second tournament after the comeback.”
Photo credit: Christopher Levy