WOMEN’S FINAL – WIMBLEDON ” INTERESTING BUT SHORT ” BY CHERYL JONES

Written by: Staff on 5th July 2014

WOMEN'S FINAL – WIMBLEDON " INTERESTING BUT SHORT " BY CHERYL JONES

epaselect epa04300476 Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic holds the championship trophy following her victory over Eugenie Bouchard of Canada in the women's singles final of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 05 July 2014. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA |

It was tennis at 2:00 p.m. sharp for the two women who had outlasted all the others at The Championships. On paper, it looked as if the match could be either woman’s prize. But the game isn’t played on paper. Petra Kvitova took only 55 minutes to lay claim for the second time, to the prestigious Venus Rosewater Dish, which is the coveted prize given to the women’s winner in Wimbledon.

The 6-3, 6-0 outcome was posted on the scoreboard and Kvitova, whose idol has been former countrywoman, Martina Navratilova, gently sat on the court and leaned back to savor the victory, if only for a fleeting moment. It wasn’t the first time she’d been there. When she took home the prize in 2011, she was a shy 21-year-old.

She’s still shy, but now there is a confidence enveloping her that says, “I’ve really arrived.” She didn’t give Eugenie Bouchard a chance. It was clear that Kvitova was in charge from the onset of the match and she brought that point home with dominating 12 of the last 14 points, along with winning the last 7 games. Power and angles was actually the name of Kvitova’s game. She had 28 winners and only 12 errors, (and that’s darn near perfect in reality).

There was nothing Bouchard could offer to stave off the winning ways of Kvitova. It was like the Czech had been saving her best for the last match of the tournament. She served up more than just cleanly hit balls. Angles were a huge part of her game today. It was almost as if Bouchard was astonished at the power that was evidenced throughout the match. She just couldn’t find a way to insert herself into the play. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t playing well. She was. Kvitova merely dominated the entire match.

Eugenie Bouchard.

Canadian, Eugenie Bouchard hadn’t dropped a set throughout the tournament and it was expected that she would be a match for the Czech woman, shot for shot. It wasn’t to be and a stunned Bouchard tried every trick she might ever have learned to no avail. It mattered not that Bouchard was the most highly ranked Canadian player ever. Kvitova was clearly in charge. Her returns were consistent and her serves went where they were intended. It was as if she had a game plan that she had studied for months. It was as if the entire match was choreographed to show off her strengths. It worked as planned.

Bouchard spoke after the match and even though her disappointment was evident during the presentation ceremony, she had taken the loss in stride. The immediate future didn’t include holding a racquet. She was going to take a break, and then return to fine-tune her game for the US Open.

After the match, her coach, Nick Saviano helped put things in perspective when he reminded her of how far she had come. Just two years ago, she was the Junior winner at Wimbledon. Now she is runner-up in the ladies competition. It has been quite a meteoric rise. She will be ranked seventh in the women’s game. Her perspective has changed, but her goals remain steadfast. She will rest for a short time and then return to her quest for perfection that has taken a detour today, but she’ll be back. She has proven that she has the goods.

With the win, Kvitova will move into 4th in the women’s game. The 24-year-old showed a marked change in the deer in the headlights woman she was in 2011. Her game had everything it needed today and she played with a confidence that showed nothing of the instability it had when she lost in the first round of the Australian Open this past January. There was no hesitation involved in even a portion of her performance. She is a lefty. It has proven to be an integral part of her game. Her last shot today was a backhand crosscourt hit that must have reverberated throughout all of The Czech Republic. She was the first woman whose name was not Williams to have a repeat win since Steffi Graf in the mid-nineties.

Something tells me that we haven’t seen the last of Kvitova. She is comfortable on the lawns and she has found a way to play her game her way. Along the way, she has dominated the competition. Her name will be indelibly etched in history. The Championships will have another year to tell its story. The happily ever after part now belongs to Petra Kvitova. She proved today that she has what it takes to win in Centre Court, and it is a tennis racquet and not a glass slipper that took her there.

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic (R) holds the championship trophy next to runner-up Eugenie Bouchard of Canada after the women’s singles final of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 05 July 2014. EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH

Many thanks are extended to Eugenie Bouchard and Petra Kvitova for a match that showcased more than tennis. It was a testament to all the hard work that both women have evidenced throughout their brief careers. In a sport that is constantly looking for a change of the guard; it may be right now.

Topics: Cheryl Jones, Eugenie Bouchard, London, Petra Kvitova, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon

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10sBalls_com says:

July 5, 2014 at 2:22 pm

WOMEN’S FINAL – WIMBLEDON ” INTERESTING BUT SHORT ” BY CHERYL JONES- http://t.co/QQfARpGYOv @Petra_Kvitova @geniebouchard #Wimbly13 #tennis