By Chris Oddo | Tuesday July 3, 2018
Two-time champion Petra Kvitova ran into a red-hot Aliaksandra Sasnovich and fell in the first round at Wimbledon for the first time since 2009.
Photo Source: Michael Steele/Getty
Two-time Wimbledon Petra Kvitova has been boxed out of the draw by Belarussian Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
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It was a stunning result by a player who entered the match with a 2-3 lifetime record at Wimbledon and a 3-6 record on grass overall, but Sasnovich played extremely well from start to finish, and just when it looked like Kvitova had weathered the storm by taking the middle set, Sasnovich reached back and threw everything she had at the Czech, playing a dizzying, dominant third set that left the 2011 and 2014 champ puzzled and at times distraught.
"The nerves were there again," Kvitova later said. "I don't know. I just tried to kind of fight with myself. Probably was the biggest opponent which I have."
Kvitova was ultimately done in by her inability to win baseline points, and she couldn’t make inroads against Sasnovich on either wing. Full credit to the 24-year-old World No.50, who was flawless at times when counterpunching and only tossed in 22 unforced errors over the course of the two hour and 14 minute affair.
Kvitova won just 47 of 114 baseline points, and she faced 17 break points and was broken five times.
She seemed to be gaining control of the match in the second set but failed to serve out the set after tossing in an error-filled game to be broken while serving at 5-3. But Kvitova broke back when nerves got the best of Sasnovich in the next game.
The third set moved quickly for Sasnovich, though it was close in the early games. After breaking for 1-0 Sasnovich held for 2-0 when a forehand winner was ruled to be good after a Hawk-Eye challenge showed that it had clipped the line. She broke again for 3-0 after another Kvitova challenge revealed the same bad news to the Czech.
"I tried," Kvitova said. "I changed it in the second set when I got an early break. In the third, I think it was just too quickly when she was on the board, and I just couldn't handle it any more."
From there it was a straight march to the finish. Sasnovich had an incredibly good read on Kvitova’s serve and put 19 of 21 returns in play in the final set, and 72 of 93 returns in play overall. Those are great numbers against a big, lethal server like Kvitova, and it enabled her to control play from the baseline, where her quickness and consistency didn’t allow Kvitova any chance to dictate.
At times Kvitova seemed to lose her will in this match, but it was hard to tell her emotional angst was due to an ailment or personal frustration or simply the fact that her opponent, on this day, was simply too good.
Sasnovich moves on to face American Taylor Townsend in the second round.
The two-time champion’s loss opens the draw for top-seeded Simona Halep, who resides in the top of this quarter, along with Johanna Konta, Maria Sharapova and Jelena Ostapenko.