MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — After 65 minutes of play and more than 22 of a tiebreak, Petra Kvitova held up her right fist and shouted into the Miami Open crowd.
It was a subdued celebration at the end of a marathon opening set of the women’s championship because there was much more to go, but it was the pivot point in the match. She could sense it and so could the crowd inside Hard Rock Stadium, which rose to its feet for a standing ovation after the 33-year-old Czech landed the first — and, ultimately, decisive — blow of her 7-6, 6-2 upset of Elena Rybakina.
“To be honest, I have no idea how I did it,” Kvitova told Tennis Channel. “You should’ve seen the balls at the end of the tiebreak. They were like big, fluffy balls.”
