Svetlona Kuznetsova vs. Petra Kvitova: An Unexpected Final
In this corner
Raise your hand if you had these two in the final? Kuznetsova won the 2009 French Open and was runner-up at Roland Garros in 2006. Kuznetsova may be a good bet for the International Tennis Hall of Fame when she retires if one adds her 2004 US Open title, 2007 US Open runner-up finish, 2 Grand Slam doubles titles, and 5 Grand Slam doubles runner-up finishes to her French Open results. Still, she is seemingly well past her prime and has always been a hot and cold player.
In corner #2
Speaking of players with two Grand Slam titles who are hard to predict, let me speak about Petra Kvitova. She has a nasty lefty serve and a lot of natural power. Kvitova has also had a lot of medical issues that have hampered her career. Petra has dominated two Wimbledon finals and won one season ending championship, but has done little else. Normally when a player dominates a Grand Slam event twice there are other moments of domination. Kvitova has been oddly inconsistent.
Two women meet with 4 Grand Slam singles titles between them. If Kvitova is healthy, and this week would suggest that she is, she has to be favored vs. her more experienced opponent. Kuznetsova has a clay court game that can bother anyone on the WTA Tour when it is on, but I think a confident Kvitova has too much firepower to lose. Having said that, both players are capable of surprises of the pleasant and unpleasant sort.
My Prediction: Petra Kvitova d. Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-2
