Petra Kvitova wins battle of Wimbledon champions

Petra Kvitova during her match against Elena Rybakina yesterday. Pic/Getty Images

Petra Kvitova won the battle of Wimbledon champions on Monday in Adelaide as she outserved Elena Rybakina - who has now crashed out early in two tournaments leading into next week's Australian Open. Two-time Wimbledon winner Kvitova beat the current All England Club champion 6-3, 7-5 in round one, exacting a measure of revenge. The 23rd-ranked Russian-born Rybakina won their first head-to-head meeting last year in Ostrava.

World No.16 Kvitova never faced a break point in 86 minutes at Adelaide International II, while breaking Rybakina at the tailend of each set to move safely through. "I tried to play faster than Elena," said Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. "She played really great [in Ostrava], it was a good match and I know that she's serving really well. I was focusing on my serve and I was trying to wait for some chances to break her."

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