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January 24, 2019,
As it so often does, the semi-finals of a Grand Slam showcases two talented players with different strengths and styles along with the contrast in pathways that it took for both to earn the right to be there.
The Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova has the maturity and extensive experience while America’s Danielle Collins has the momentum and no previous nightmarish Australian Open memories to haunt her since, to this date, she is undefeated there.
Ms. Kvitova is on a winning streak of her own having been victorious in 10 straight previous matches after entering the 2019 Australian Open with a title at the Sydney International.
In her previous four matches here, Petra has yet to drop a set.
Propelling her to this point, her decimation of two hard charging players in America’s Amanda Anisimova and Australia’s Ashleigh Barty speaks not only to her talent but her deep professional tennis experience.
Ms. Kvitová turned professional in 2006 and has won 26 career singles titles, two of which are Grand Slam titles, the Wimbledon Championships in 2011 and in 2014.
She also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Her career-high ranking of world No. 2 was reached on 31 October 2011 and as of 14 January 2019, she is ranked world No. 6 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
Ms. Collins has stupendous credentials as well. By contrast they occurred at the collegiate level where at the University of Virginia she won the NCAA singles title twice in 2014 and 2016, during her sophomore and senior years.
Danielle finished her career at Virginia in 2016 as the top-ranked collegiate player in the United States.
The overriding question about her is can Danielle hold up once again to the challenge of playing a top player on a large stage where her opponent possesses far more experience and incredible talent?
An added factor here is that Petra and Danielle had played one another before in Brisbane, Australia, with Petra winning in three sets.
That was then, this is now.
The match starts with the two stars painting the lines. Danielle does not seem nervous at all hitting solid backhand shots which is her strength but Kvitova is still too much for her and wins the first game.
Danielle wins the second game. She even double faults later but doesn’t cave. Soon the score is 2-2. If Danielle can win this match, currently ranked at number 35, she will vault into the world’s top twenty.
Even though the two combatants are sturdy, the natural elements are now starting to come into play. Simply put, it is getting hot. Very hot. A dry heat that blows in from the desert.
The play is heating up too. Danielle breaks Petra with what else? A screaming backhand winner.
Now she screams. Danielle leads 3-2.
Can she hold serve?
Against Petra that is no easy task. Resolved the Czech star mounts a comeback and has two break points. Her shots are getting deeper and deeper, driving Danielle further behind the baseline. Kvitova breaks back and lets out a scream of her own and it is knotted at 3-3.
Kvitova is now lifting her game, getting more first serves in and serves very wide on the second serve, a very risky move that pays off. She is now up 4-3.
Unflustered, Danielle holds serve. It is now 4-4.
Pardon the interruption but now play is halted.
The temperature is hot enough that the leadership has decided to close the roof. As the roof begins to close the crowd wildly cheers. Sitting in 100 degree weather, no matter what part of the world you live in, whether it is dry heat or otherwise is never fun.
The intrigue is which player will benefit the most from the change in the elements?
Danielle has a chance to mount a break, going up 30-15 but Kvitova calls upon her experience and fights Danielle off.
The European now leads 5-4. Battling back and forth without blinking they are now headed towards a tie breaker with the score tied at 6-6.
The beautiful Australian A-List Actress Nicole Kidman is in the audience and as she often seems to, loves the camera’s attention. She seems to enjoy the tennis too.
This is a huge tie-breaker for Danielle. She really needs to win this one. Kvitova has weathered many storms before and being down a set is not a deal breaker for her.
It might be for Danielle.
Soon Petra begins to get a strangle hold on the tie breaker and is up 5-1. Danielle is frustrated with the umpire because the buzzer for serves that clip the net is falsely going off. He would later turn if off but a little too late because Danielle lost a point because of it.
No matter. This momentary irritation has no bearing on the outcome.
Petra Kvitova is just too good and too experienced and with an off speed serve out wide, she charges in and knocks off an easy volley. 7-2 her favor.
First set to the more experienced star.
Now she lets out a massive scream of her own. Is it time for a patented steam roll?
Yes it is.
The second set is all Kvitova. When she played Amanda Anisimova, she truly made the 17 year look like a child out of place. She was calm, steely eyed and determined. Here, she is beginning to do the same thing with the far lesser experienced Danielle.
Typically, the little that we’ve seen of Danielle, at this point she would be screaming out in frustration but here she appears to understand her surroundings and quietly plays through with honor.
As the expression goes, it isn’t checkers, its chess.
Soon 1-0, becomes 3-0 and then 6-0.
The Czech star is now headed to the finals where she has never ever lost one at a Grand Slam. Whoever she plays between Japan’s Naomi Osaka and her fellow Czech citizen in Karolina Pliskova, who ousted super star Serena Williams from the tournament, she is the clear favorite.
Regarding Danielle Collins incredible run, the hope is that this is just the beginning of more fantastic deep runs at future Grand Slams.
That is not always the case with the newest WTA wonder but something internally about Danielle seems different.
As far as Petra Kvitova goes, she has come so far given her major life challenges.
In August of 2015 she was diagnosed with mononucleosis. Shortly after Christmas in 2017 the horrific and unexpected happened. She was robbed at her home in the Czech Republic by a knife-wielding attacker, which resulted in tendon and nerve injuries to her left hand.
She privately thought that she would never make it to a Grand Slam final again.
This beautiful resilient warrior seems to be right about so many things.
Fortunately in one analysis, she was not.
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https://www.wtatennis.com/news/means-everything-kvitova-ends-collins-run-soar-australian-open-final
