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Petra Kvitova, playing in her second tournament since a career-threatening stabbing attack six months ago in a home invasion, rallied from a set down to defeat Ashleigh Barty and claim the Aegon Classic title on Sunday in Birmingham, England. The seventh-seeded Czech, who started her remarkable comeback at the French Open last month, defeated Barty of Australia 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
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The 27-year-old Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, was viciously attacked by a knife-wielding man on Dec. 20 during a robbery attempt in her Czech Republic home. The incident caused major injuries to her racket-holding left hand as she fought off the intruder. She underwent nearly four hours of surgery on her left hand and forearm, and her left hand is still not fully recovered.
Kvitova's last final on grass had been her triumph at Wimbledon three years ago.
"I like to play finals on grass. I wish I could have more. I won't be sad if it is in a couple of weeks (at Wimbledon) but there is still a lot of work to be done," Kvitova said in her on-court interview.
"It was an amazing week, an amazing tournament. From my first hits on the grass I felt great, it was encouraging to get into the grass season. I came to play, to improve my game, I didn't really have any expectation. I wanted to play my best which I showed today and I hope I can keep doing that."
Kvitova, the world No. 16, rolled into the final without dropping a set in Birmingham.
The 21-year-old Barty, who upset sixth-seeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza in three sets on Saturday to reach her second final of the season, made a strong start against Kvitova as she broke to lead 2-1 in the opening set and carried her advantage through to claim the opener.
Kvitova then stepped up her game, racing out to a 5-1 lead in the second set and dominating in the decider to take the title after one hour, 47 minutes.
Kvitova, swinging freely from the baseline, struck 35 winners to just 25 unforced errors, hit 13 aces and converted five of eight break-point opportunities.
"It's so amazing to have Petra back on the court. She's such an inspiration," Barty, ranked No. 77, said afterward. "She's always been a great champion but I think we appreciate that more now that she's back playing week-in and week-out. Hopefully she is able to stay healthy and doesn't have any more issues and I hope she has a really successful season.
"I think we have to be very happy with where the game is at. I've played some quality tennis and lost to only a couple of good players. So I'm really excited and I can't wait to get to Wimbledon."
