Kvitova beats Sharapova to win Wimbledon title

LONDON, (Reuters) – Nerveless 21-year-old Petra  Kvitova delivered a remarkable performance of confidence and  power to out-gun favourite Maria Sharapova and win the Wimbledon  title for the first time with a convincing 6-3 6-4 victory today.
Kvitova, who had never won a match on grass before reaching  the semi-finals last year, served consistently and maintained a  barrage of powerful, attacking ground-strokes to become only the  third left hander to win the women’s title after Anne Jones and  Martina Navratilova.
Kvitova, appearing in her first grand slam final, was in  control of her emotions and her game throughout and deservedly  becomes the first Czech to triumph since Jana Novotna in 1998.
Sharapova, who won the title as a 17-year-old in 2004, had  reached the final without dropping a set but served raggedly and  the Russian fifth seed had no answers.
“I’m so happy,” the tearful champion said in an on-court   interview before blowing a kiss to Novotna and Navratilova  watching from the Royal Box.
“I was nervous but I had to focus on every point.”
The Czech looked understandably nervous as she was broken in  the opening game but hit back immediately to level at 1-1.
She continued to make the running throughout the set,  out-serving and out-hitting the former world number one, who  delivered consecutive double faults to lose her service and slip  4-2 behind.
Kvitova, throwing in the occasional sliced backhand that  caused Sharapova problems, served out to love.
In her semi-final against Victoria Azarenka, Kvitova played  a convincing first set but allowed the Belarussian back to take  the second so everyone around Centre Court waited with bated  breath to see how she dealt with the pressure of leading the  final.
They did not have to wait long as she broke Sharapova in the  opening game after the Russian’s fifth double fault gave her a  break point that she took with a crashing forehand down the  line.
A break apiece had Kvitova on the brink when serving at 3-2  but she twice missed simple shots with the court gaping to allow  Sharapova back into the match.
However, it proved a false dawn for the 2004 champion, who  was appearing in her first final since the 2008 Australian Open  after missing long periods with shoulder problems.
Kvitova, showing remarkable control of her nerves, broke  back immediately and finished the match off in style by holding  serve to love and signing the whole thing off with her first ace  of the final.
Sharapova, whose endorsements make her the highest-paid  sportswoman in the world, said: “I’m very happy to be back here  with the runner’s up trophy but I wanted the “big one” and I  will be back and I hope to get it again one day.”