Field Level Media
15 Mar 2023, 15:40 GMT+10
Petra Kvitova saved four match points and survived a marathon third-set tiebreaker to emerge with a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (11) win over Jessica Pegula in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday in Indian Wells, Calif.
Kvitova, a Czech player who is seeded 15th, fell behind by a service break three times in the final set but rallied each time. Pegula, a U.S. player who was seeded third, had her first match point while serving at 5-4, and she again had an opportunity to serve out the match after going up 6-5.
In the tiebreaker, Pegula failed on three match points and Kvitova failed on three match points before taking advantage of her fourth.
Kvitova said postmatch, "I just tried to still be aggressive, but it (was) not always was there for me. The emotions were of course very happy. And a little bit exhausted now."
Kvitova prevailed despite saving just one of five break points on her serve and putting only 57 percent of her first serves in play.
Next up for Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion in 2011 and 2014, will be a quarterfinal matchup with Maria Sakkari. The seventh-seeded Greek player defeated 17th-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.
Sakkari beat Kvitova in the third round at Indian Wells last year en route to the final.
"I expect a big fight, for sure," Kvitova said. "That's normally (what) our matches look like. And I know that she's playing all three-setters here, as well as me, probably, so it will be a really close one, for sure."
Elsewhere on Tuesday, second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus edged 16th-seeded Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, and sixth-seeded Coco Gauff of the United States topped Sweden's Rebecca Peterson 6-3, 1-6, 6-4. Tenth-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan routed Russia's Varvara Gracheva 6-3, 6-0.
Romania's Sorana Cirstea upset fifth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, and Karolina Muchova won an all-Czech showdown with Marketa Vondrousova, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-4.
In the final match of the night, top-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland opposed Emma Raducanu of Great Britain in a matchup of former U.S. Open winners.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Tennis Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Tennis Times.
More InformationNew Delhi [India], December 10 (ANI): Former India batter Wasim Jaffer said on Sunday that the Indian Premier League (IPL) ...
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 10 (ANI): Former Indian skipper Anjum Chopra expressed surprise at Sri Lankan star Chamari Athapaththu going ...
(Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports) For as well as the New Jersey Devils have fared as of late, the ...
Birmingham [UK], December 10 (ANI): Aston Villa skipper John McGinn's lone goal helped his side beat Arsenal in the Premier ...
New Delhi [India], December 10 (ANI): Uncapped Indian pacer Kashvee Gautam, who was picked up for Rs 2 crores in ...
Sevilla [Spain], December 10 (ANI): After Real Madrid shared points with Real Betis in La Liga at Benito Villamarin in ...
The annual rating is led by a dynasty from the UAE for the first timeThe Bloomberg 'World's Richest Families 2023' ...
California [US], December 10 (ANI): In a detailed study, researchers identify which diets are effective in lowering the risk of ...
LONDON - When her husband fled China in 2019 to escape a police crackdown on dissidents, Lu Lina thought she ...
New York [US], December 10 (ANI): Sweden's deputy envoy to the UN, Andreas von Uexkull, said India and Sweden remain ...
Nashville (Tennessee) [US], December 10 (ANI): Six people died after tornadoes and strong thunderstorms hit Tennessee, US, according to CNN. ...
© Provided by Xinhua HEFEI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- As steaks sizzle on the grill pan in a steakhouse located ...