Kvitova beats Sakkari to make quarter-finals in Melbourne

ByReuters

Published 26/01/2020 at 03:37 GMT

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Petra Kvitova came from a set down and took full advantage as her Greek opponent Maria Sakkari's self-belief drained away to advance to the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-7(4) 6-3 6-2 victory on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.

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Seventh seed Kvitova looked second best early on against Sakkari, who was backed by loud support from local Greek fans, but seized the advantage in a second set where both players struggled to hold serve.

The two-times Wimbledon champion broke Sakkari four times in the second set and then took a 3-0 lead in the decider to give her the advantage she needed to put away the stubborn 22nd-seed in two hours, 12 minutes.

Czech Kvitova will meet either top seed Ash Barty or Alison Riske, who play later on Sunday, in the last eight.

WTA Madrid