By Chris Oddo | Saturday October 1, 2016
Petra Kvitova needed just 62 minutes to defeat Dominika Cibulkova in Saturday's Wuhan final.
Photo Source: TennisTV
Don’t let the ranking fool you. Petra Kvitova is one of the most talented players in tennis today and the 26-year-old proved that and then some by crush-grooving her way to her second Wuhan title on Saturday.
Kvitova, brilliantly devastating all week in Wuhan, did not drop a set after defeating World No. 1 Angelique Kerber in a three-hour and 20-minute marathon in the round of 16. In her last two matches she dropped a total of five games against Simona Halep and Dominika Cibulkova to hoist the trophy at Wuhan for the second time in three years.
Kvitova’s 6-1, 6-1 victory over Cibulkova snaps a two-match losing streak against the Slovakian and it puts the Czech on the cusp of the Top 10 once again. She will begin next week at No. 11 in the world, but the two-time Wimbledon champion could be much higher this time next year if she can find a way to play this type of tennis on a more consistent basis.
Consistency has always been a challenge for Kvitova, but never more so than in 2016, a year that saw her struggle mightily for the first half of the season until she finally hit her stride this summer.
Kvitova has now won 20 of 25 matches since dropping a second-rounder to Ekaterina Makarova at Wimbledon. Winning the Bronze medal at Rio was a key milestone for the Czech and it has instilled her with a sense of confidence over the last month.
At the U.S. Open Kvitova lost a difficult round of 16 match to eventual champion Angelique Kerber and she told reporters this week at Wuhan that the loss was difficult to get over.
But she did.
After battling past Kerber this week in what many are considering the WTA’s match of the year, Kvitova found another level in Wuhan and was never really tested again. Johanna Konta, Simona Halep and Dominika Cibulkova all became spectators, witnessing the revival of a phenom that is far too talented to be floundering outside of the Top 10.
Cibulkova also had a fantastic week in Wuhan, and the 27-year-old Slovakian cements her place in the Road to Singapore standings as a result. She’s currently No. 7 in the race and could lock up her first appearance at the WTA Finals with a strong performance in Beijing.
Cibulkova will also rise to a career-high No. 8 in the WTA rankings as a result of her runner-up performance.
But Saturday was about the daunting power of Kvitova, and it gave the world a chance to form a fresh take on the Czech’s vast potential. Maybe her best tennis is still in front of her? The two-time Wimbledon champion is still only 26, and if this week is any indication, she could most certainly add to her total of Grand Slam titles in the not too distant future.
Kvitova struck 28 winners against just two for Cibulkova, and she dropped just one of her 25 first-serve points in the victory.
Both Kvitova and Cibulkova will receive performance byes at the China Open, along with semifinalists Halep and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Kvitova improves to 18-6 in WTA finals with her win, while Cibulkova drops to 6-10.