Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic nabs first Grand Slam over favorite Maria Sharapova

Petra Kvitova Wins Wimbledon

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic scored a straight-set upset in the Wimbledon Women's Final yesterday over heavily-favored Maria Sharapova of Russia, 6-3, 6-4, earning her first major title at the age of 21.

An emotional Petra Kvitova sunk to her knees after punctuating his surprisingly steady game with an ace. She became the first woman tennis player from the Czech Republic to hoist the trophy at Wimbledon. Jana Novotna, who was present at the sidelines, did it last back in 1998.

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic also is the youngest to win Wimbledon since Maria Sharapova herself did it at 17 years old in 2004.  The Russian already has won three Grand Slam titles, but it was Kvitova who controlled the match with powerful groundstrokes while Sharapova had plenty of miscues.

"It's hard to find some words, standing here with the trophy and see some of the great players in the royal box," Petra Kvitova said after the match. "Of course I was nervous, but I felt I could win Wimbledon."

Kvitova's win was made easier when the Williams sisters Serena and Venus both lost their fourth round matches. The siblings had won nine of the last 11 Wimbledon titles before yesterday's win by the Czech.

Maria Sharapova credited Petra Kvitova for displaying power and being consistent and said she was not able to match her tenacity. "She was just more aggressive than I was, hit deeper and harder, and got the advantage in the points."

Just as Maria Sharapova was looking to add a second Wimbledon trophy after seven years, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic made sure she got hers first.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Sunday July 03 2011, 6:53 AM EST. Ref: Bloomberg. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0