WHAT HAPPENED: Petra Kvitova kicked off Day 3 play in Arthur Ashe Stadium, facing Kateryna Kozlova, No. 99 in the world, from Ukraine. Kvitova, from Czech Republic, is the No. 6 seed, and the winner of two women’s singles Grand Slam titles, both at Wimbledon, in 2011 and 2014.
Both players cruised through their Round 1 matches without dropping a set. But it was the higher-ranked player who faltered first: Kvitova double-faulted to drop her serve and go down, 2-3. And while the lefty from Czech Republic continued to struggle with her serve—hitting seven double faults in that first set—she managed to take the set in a tiebreak.
The 26-year-old Ukranian played a shaky tiebreak, winning just three points. Her confidence flagging, Kozlova dropped serve and quickly found herself down 0-2. Meanwhile, the No. 6 seed surged, cleaning up her play and continuing to charge into net. The second set was a quick one with Kvitova taking it on her first game point. Final match score: 7-6, 6-2.
“I’m really happy that I found a way,” said a jubilant Kvitova after the match.
WHAT IT MEANS: Although she loves a fast court and does well at the Australian Open, Kvitova has never been able to move past the quarterfinals at the US Open. But this year’s draw favors the Czech—at least until a potential collision with No. 4 seed Naomi Osaka. Losing to the Japanese player at the 2019 Australian Open was one of Kvitova's biggest career disappointments. Had the Czech won that match, she would have been the world No. 1.
MATCH POINT: The stars came out in Arthur Ashe Stadium—a constellation of top female tennis players, including Victoria Azarenka, Karolina Pliskova, and Garbiñe Muguruza were all spotted on camera, taking advantage of the suites that would normally be occupied by fans.
