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Petra Kvitova, 33, is the oldest player to win the Miami Open after Serena Williams in 2015. Kvitova, who turned 33 in early March, defeated 23-year-old Elena Rybakina 7-6 (14) 6-2 in the Miami Open final. By beating Rybakina, Kvitova became the second player to win Miami after turning 33.
When Williams won the Miami Open in 2015, she was also 33.
2 - Petra Kvitova is the second player to win the Women’s Singles title in Miami after turning 33, following Serena Williams in 2015. Timeless.#MiamiOpen | @WTA @WTA_insider @MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/Kb4aBQZEPK — OptaAce (@OptaAce) April 1, 2023
Kvitova got the job done against Rybakina
Even though Kvitova was playing great in Miami, it was Rybakina who was the favorite to win their match.
The first set was an extremely tight contest as Kvitova saved five set points before sealing the opener. "For sure the tiebreak was deciding today I think all the match. I think it was the longest one I ever played in my life, and it was like, yeah, if I didn't serve, I couldn't be there.
I mean, I got like three aces at the beginning and it was really tough," Kvitova said. Kvitova earned the first break of the match in the ninth game but then failed to serve out for the opener in the following game. Fortunately for Kvitova, she was able to win the first set via a tie-break.
After the final, Kvitova admitted that she was aware of how well Rybakina was playing tie-breaks in 2023. "Before our final I read yesterday that Elena didn't lose a tiebreak yet this season. So I was a break up. I was like, Okay, good.
I gonna serve it out. And boom, it was a tiebreak. I was like, Oh, very nice. What are you gonna do now? But I was telling myself that she has to lose at some point one tiebreak in the season," Kvitova said. Now, Kvitova will take a few days to rest and turn her focus on the clay season. It remains to be seen if Kvitova can continue her fine form during the clay season.