WUHAN: World No. 3 Petra Kvitova overcame Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets on Saturday to win the inaugural $2.4 million WTA Wuhan Open, on Saturday, her third title of the year.
The Wimbledon champion was at her ruthless best to defeat the Canadian 6-3, 6-4, a result which confirmed her place in next month’s WTA Finals, the season ending finale of the world’s top eight women players.
The final of the premier-ranking tournament was a rematch between the two players who contested the Wimbledon final, and Kvitova reproduced in Wuhan the determination she displayed in London, where she won 6-3, 6-0.
The Czech player broke the world number nine in the second game and maintained her 3-0 lead to clinch the first set. The third seed then advanced to 5-2
The 20-year-old sixth seed had three break points against Kvitova in the eighth game, and while her opponent clawed her way back into contention with some powerful serving, Bouchard took the game.
The new poster girl for the WTA then took the next game, but Kvitova’s strength at the serve wrapped up the set 6-4.
The victory was Kvitova’s third over Bouchard in the three games they have previously played.
Kvitova crushed her opponent in 55 minutes at Wimbledon, the shortest final ever at the tournament. Bouchard was also defeated when the pair met in Toronto last year.
Victory was sweet for Kvitova, who has enjoyed a return to consistency at Wuhan after a poor run in the North American swing.
The victory at the Wuhan Optics Valley Tennis Center also means the left-hander will retain her position as world number three. If she had finished runner up, Russian Maria Sharapova would have lept from fourth to third when the rankings are next updated by the WTA. (Agencies)
