Miami, WTA: the final is Kvitova-Rybakina

Only one match divides Elena Rybakina from the Sunshine Double, the consecutive victory of the WTA 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami. Between the Kazakh tennis player, number 7 in the world, and the trophy of the Californian tournament there will be Petra Kvitova, No. 12 WTA, second finalist thanks to the victory in the semifinal against Sorana Cirstea. Rybakina, who travels at the speed of 13 consecutive successes, however seems to have already removed her most cumbersome obstacle on the road to her title, the No. 3 in the world Jessica Pegula, which she got rid of in two set in their own semifinal.

Lena again

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Rybakina was also the first to qualify for the final (scheduled for Saturday at 7pm). The Australian Open finalist beat Pegula 7-6 (3) 6-4, making her her fifth Top 3 victim in a row — a journey that began in the final of last year’s Wimbledon, when she defeated Ons Jabeur. This match, however, was more complex for her than the result tells us, with the American who was several times ahead in the score and the unexpected addition of the rain delay right in the middle of the tie-break (“we really could have win it both,” said the winner at the end of the match). For Rybakina it is the third final of the season (as a favourite), while going out one step away from the goal fuels Pegula’s fame as a regularity champion, but not very concrete when it comes to fighting for a title.

Kvitova for the 30th

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Sorana Cirstea (n.74) had been the big surprise of this tournament, capable of eliminating even the champion of the Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka. The 33-year-old Romanian, however, was stopped by another 33-year-old, Petra Kvitova, who defeated her 7-5 6-4 in 1h 42′. Lethal with the left-handed forehand, intense thanks to the weight of experience on large stages, Kvitova took a long time to fight in which the opponent, in the early stages, seemed to be able to create many more problems. The turning point came when Cirstea missed the opportunity to serve for the first set. Kvitova snatched the break from her, the Romanian collapsed leaving her eight points in a row and then the road paved towards the final. “It’s incredible, it’s also a surprise for me to have reached the final,” said Kvitova after the match, who will now have the opportunity to win her 30th WTA title. She will be there to overcome one of the most fit players on the circuit.