2022 Cincinnati Masters final live: Petra Kvitova faces Caroline Garcia

Garcia holds her nerve, slamming down the aces to claim the Cincinnati title on her first match point. She makes history as the first qualifier to win a WTA 1000 tournament and will now rise back into the world’s top 20.

Serve-out question posed!

How is your nerve, Caroline Garcia? She’s been under the cosh a bit in this set, but one steady hold now will land her the title. Kvitova will go for broke and hope to fight her way back right at what seems like the last…

A big game ahead… Let’s go!

Too good. Garcia responds to Petra’s huge roar at making 30-30 by crunching down an ace before moving to within a game of the title by mopping up the next point.

The 28-year-old French No.1 has been so strong on crucial points today.

Petra refuses to let this go. She doesn’t have it all her own way and another break would surely have been curtains. On this occasion, she finds some big serves at deuce and will once again look to crack Garcia’s service code as we head towards now or never territory.

What. A. Hold. Garcia is staring down the barrel at 0-40 but nails a pair of aces before staunch defence somehow sees her stay in a rally that ends with Kvitova lashing just wide. The French No.1 can’t quite close out straight away but nails a third ace of the match before sizzling away a drive volley to somehow maintain her advantage. Brilliant stuff.

Petra stays firmly in touch with a simple and efficient hold. She still believes there's a twist in this tale and that she can still win this title.

Garcia is playing like a champion-in-waiting.

She could buckle under the pressure as Kvitova unloads a drive volley to earn a BP and then roars in delight, but once again the French No.1 refuses.

A brilliant crosscourt forehand helps her fend it off before the qualifier wriggles through from deuce to maintain her advantage.

Petra returns from her MTO to hold for only the third time today, easing through a service game to 15. Could that delay for treatment affect Garcia’s rhythm? We will see…

Caroline remains dogged in the tense moments. She is steely focused from deuce to back up the break and take a firm grip of this final.

Meanwhile, Kvitova has called the trainer and will head off court for some treatment on what looks like a calf issue.

Ouch! A wild forehand from Kvitova is ill-timed on break point and allows Garcia to continue her momentum at the start of Set 2. The French star has been far more consistent today and the Czech only has herself to blame, letting a 40-15 lead slip with another double fault contributing to her downfall.

What a set from Caroline! Once more she finds her best tennis under pressure, fizzing down a big serve to take the game – and a 39-minute opener- after Kvitova had pressed at 30-30.

There are one or two small signs Kvitova could yet turn the tide here, but it will almost certainly come too late for this set.

The Czech breezes through a dominant hold to pose the serve-out question.

Once again Kvitova knocks on the door on the Garcia serve with two separate break points, but once more the French qualifier hits clutch mode to dodge the danger and grind out a tricky hold.

Well, that was much-needed. Kvitova lashes a forehand winner down the middle to conclude a superb riposte to love. She’s belatedly on the board and will hope to use that as a platform to get a foothold in this final now.

It just gets better and better for the French qualifier right now. She surges throughout a rapid love hold to back up the double break with aplomb. Kvitova needs to find a way to hang in there and try to ride out this storm.

Garcia is on fire! The French qualifier shows wonderful foot work to pick up a crosscourt drop shot and slice a winner up the line before outmanoeuvring her opponent to clock up two more break points. Kvitova saves one with a big serve but then sees a second serve get the treatment for the double break.

The towering Czech looks for an immediate response and presses to deuce, but it is ultimately to no avail. Garcia is made to resist two break points before eventually consolidating courtesy of a combination of a huge forehand and a Kvitova return that whistles a fraction wide.