Kvitova did not allow Bouchard the ability dictate play by forcing the Canadian to play defense despite her taking the ball on the rise

I don’t think Eugenie Bouchard played particularly nervy or poorly.  She just had microscopic opportunities to influence the match.  I recall Bouchard hitting a passing shot trailing 3-6, 0-2, 15-40 that clipped the line and thinking she just hit an amazing shot and is still on the verge of being run off the court.  Bouchard takes the ball on the rise, and if an opponent does not either push her back or hit through her, she will dictate play.  Well, Petra Kvitova hit through her, pushed her back and hit around her so to speak.  Petra picked her spots when serving. Her serve up the T was so accurate that it opened up the lefty slice in the deuce court as well.  Petra’s forehand and backhand had sting and angles when needed as well.  Finally, Petra won a few points in which she was scrambling.  All of this was pretty demoralizing for Genie as the score was almost entirely in Petra’s control.

Injuries and Illnesses

Petra Kvitova’s career has been an odd one to follow.  She was a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2010 and champion in 2011.  She and Victoria Azarenka put on a great match in Turkey to end the 2011 season, and Petra took home the final trophy.  Vika won the 2012 Australian Open, and it appeared that the WTA had a great rivalry on its hands.  Of course, Serena Williams once again re-established herself in 2012 winning Wimbledon, Olympic gold, and the US Open.  Kvitova played Serena tough in the 2012 Wimbledon quarterfinal round.  In 2013, Kvitova’s health seemed to be faltering.  Her loss at the US Open had me wondering if she could ever capture the promise we all saw in 2011 as she looked downright ill (not in the Beastie Boys sense of the word) as she was upset in New York.  A 1st round loss in Melbourne and a loss to the unpredictable Svetlona Kuznetsova in Paris did not leave Kvitova looking to be on the verge of her second major title.  Kvitova having to pull out of a grass court tune-up only furthered the narrative in my mind that health issues were undermining her talent.

Flipping the Script

55 minutes of dominating tennis later, and Petra Kvitova is a two-time Grand Slam champion. Petra Kvitova just produced the most dominant Grand Slam final performance since Victoria Azarenka took the 2012 Australian Open title.  In that match, Vika victimized Sharapova’s movement.  In this match, Kvitova simply hit her spots and played nearly flawless tennis.  If Vika can now remain healthy, that rivalry can resume.  The WTA could be entering an awesome phase as Maria Sharapova is still playing championship tennis, there has been a rise of a new wave of players including Bouchard, Halep, and Muguruza, and Serena Williams certainly can find her form again.  For now however, tennis has a monarch and her name is Petra.

PS – Bouchard?

Genie Bouchard has played great tennis in 2014’s Grand Slams posting a 16-3 record.  She is the only player to reach the semifinal round or better of the first 3 majors of 2014.  Of course, today’s loss is probably harder to take than the one in Paris.  Losing in 3 sets in a semifinal continues the idea that she was making strides and was closing the gap on the top players. Today was a one-sided loss in a championship match.  Still, Genie Bouchard has a lot of confidence and plays with a great deal of focus.  Today will temporarily hurt her confidence level, but she will likely have returned to a state of self-belief by the time she reaches New York.