Petra Kvitova on Iga Swiatek - "She's just amazing"
The three-time Grand Slam winner Petra Kvitova praises the current world number one Iga Swiatek in the highest tones at her home tournament in Ostrava.
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Oct 07, 2022, 08:20 am
Petra Kvitova is the audience's favorite at her home tournament in Ostrava: Not only that the place of birth (Bilovec) is currently 20th in the world rankings. is just 27 kilometers from the East Moravian city, the two-time Wimbledon winner showed her best side against the number two of the tournament Paula Badosa on Wednesday evening and sent the Spaniard to the next tennis venue after two hard-fought sets.
At the same time, the 32-year-old is not above directing the focus from herself to the current world number one Iga Swiatek in the press conference after the thrilling game. Especially since a possible clash between the two could take place in the final of the WTA Tour 500 event at the earliest. Vanity looks different.
"Play tennis like the men"
Specifically, Kvitova emphasized what was special about the Pole's game: "Iga is incredible, just like 2022 was great with two Grand Slam victories. She is the undisputed number one because she has a different game than everyone else. It's also deserved because she's really dominant. I think she plays tennis like the men, it shows in her movements."
"She moves very well, is very fast with her feet and defends the whole court. She is fast, reads her opponent's play very well and knows how to position herself correctly for every ball. She uses her serve to get her forehand up afterwards and being able to play fast. The variety in her game also makes her such a player."
In the quarterfinals, Kvitova will meet Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan, who defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich from Belarus 6:7 (5), 6:4, 7:5 after a tough struggle. Swiatek, on the other hand, meets local hero Karolina Muchova in the round of eight, who eliminated Catherine McNally from the USA on Thursday.