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It will be two Czech Republic women in Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova who will compete tonight for the crown of Women’s Champion in the Sydney International.
After a week where only two seeds made it to the third round, these Czech women have remained calm and composed despite tough competition at different stages throughout the tournament.
Karolina Pliskova is currently ranked 22nd on the women’s tour. Tonight she will be searching for her 4th WTA Tour title with victory against Kvitova, after wins against Hercog, Gibbs, Suarez Navarro and the fifth seed Angelique Kerber. Her impressive start to 2015 in Australia was on show in Brisbane, where she defeated former world number one Victoria Azarenka.
After winning two of her titles last year in Seoul and Linz before finishing runner-up on three separate occasions at Pattaya City, Nürnberg and Hong Kong, Pliskova has made significant progress since reaching the World’s top 100 in 2013.
Her opponent is Petra Kvitova who regained her spot in the World’s top five last year with wins at New Haven, Wuhan and the biggest grand slam of them all in Wimbledon. The top ranked Czech player in the world has played another solid tournament in Sydney.
Solid performances against Peng, Gajdosova and Pironkova have allowed Kvitova to reach the final. With 14 WTA Singles titles under her belt at the age of just 24, Kvitova is well on the way to becoming one of the best female players from the Czech Republic. Her lethal shotmaking from both sides of the court and her powerful sliding left-handed serve, continue to create problems for her opponents.
A big occasion for both players fighting for not only the title but for key preparation and confidence before Melbourne Park. Kvitova’s experience should favour the slightly more polished Czech, yet the youthful exuberance shown by Pliskova so far in the tournament creates an opening for the underdog.
Prediction: Kvitova in three after losing the opening set.
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