Berlin Open: Queen of grass, Kvitova reigns supreme in Berlin

Petra Kvitova beat Donna Vekic to lift her sixth grass-court title and the 31st title of her glittering career

Petra Kvitova wins the title at the German Open 2023 Imago / Panoramic

Jamie Malachy

June 25, 2023

Bett1 Open, presented by ecotrans Group 2023 Women's Singles •Final • completed

See draw

P. KvitovavsD. Vekic

Petra Kvitova once again showed her grass-court prowess, lifting the Berlin Open trophy by defeating an in-form Donna Vekic 6-2, 7-6 (6) in Halle.

The two-time Wimbledon champion is a formidable force on grass courts. With her powerful serve and heavy, flat groundstrokes, Kvitova is capable of blowing anyone away in a grass-court tennis match.

So it proved to be the case once again, as an excellent Donna Vekic was not able to withstand the Czech’s considerable power.

Kvitova’s grass-court prowess shines through once again

After a one-sided first set, Vekic found the form that brought her to today’s final, finally making inroads on Kvitova’s serve with some impressive returning and able to gain the elusive break.

But when serving for the second set, the Croat found herself under a barrage of sustained pressure from an experienced opponent who upped the intensity at the crucial moments.

That pressure told, and Vekic was unable to take the match into a decider. The tiebreak was as close as the set, but ultimately went the same way, with Kvitova clinching an entertaining final without the need for a third.

Donna Vekic back in form

Although it didn’t end with the title, this has been an excellent week for Donna Vekic. The 26-year-old looks every bit the player that her junior days indicated she would be – she is injury-free, back in form and climbing rapidly up the rankings.

En route to the final, she defeated Russian Varvara Gracheva (6-3, 6-2), Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the second seed (6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4), Russian lucky loser Elina Avanesyan (6-2, 7-6) and Greek Maria Sakkari, the No 6 seed (6-4, 7-6 (8)).

Kvitova a favourite for Wimbledon

For Kvitova, this win just further underlines her grass-court credentials. The 33-year-old has now won 12 of her last 13 matches on grass dating back to her title run in Eastbourne last season, and will be one of the favourites heading into a compelling Wimbledon brimming with possible contenders.

This is also the Czech’s second title of the year, following her triumph over Rybakina at the Miami Open in April. She enjoyed a stellar week in Berlin, winning the title without dropping a set.

During that time, Kvitova beat compatriot Pliskova (6-3, 6-4), Argentinian Nadia Podoroska (6-1, 6-1), Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, the No 3 seed (6-4, 7-6 (3)) and Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova (6-3, 6-4) in the previous rounds of the Berlin tournament.

A double Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova will be right alongside the likes of fellow big-hitters Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka as favourites for the Wimbledon crown.