The wait is over for Petra Kvitova. The Czech, 35, back on the circuit in February in Austin, won her first game since her pregnancy, the first since Beijing in 2023.
Faced with Irina-Camelia Begu, the double winner of Wimbledon (2011, 2014) has imposed itself in two rounds (7-5, 6-1) and will find Ons Jabeur for a place in the third round of WTA 1000 in Rome.
While she has never exceeded the quarter -finals in the Italian capital (competition stadium which she has already reached twice, in 2012 and 2015), the 830th world ended a series of five defeats on the WTA circuit. She expressed herself in front of the media after her success against the Romanian in recent hours.
“It is a much more pleasant feeling than a defeat. It’s a little weird to win my first victory since my return to Rome, where I have never played really well. To be honest, I don’t really have any goals. I came back because I like sport.
Not tournaments, but tennis itself. When I stopped, there were 95% chance that I did not come back. But, for the moment, there is no time limit on this return. It’s cool to have my son with me here. He was not there in Madrid and it was hard, ”said the former world number 2.
