Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic kisses the trophy after beating Li Na from China in the final at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament Monday, Aug. 13, 2012 in Montreal. AP/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson
MONTREAL – Petra Kvitova outlasted China’s Li Na 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 to take the Rogers Cup title Monday.
The 22-year-old Czech earned her first tournament win of the year after taking six titles last year, including Wimbledon.
It was the first of Kvitova’s eight career victories to be won in North America.
The match featured two Grand Slam champions from 2011, as Li took the French Open. Li is 0-3 in tournament finals this year.
Kvitova, seeded fifth, struggled at the start, hitting several balls long. She fell behind 3-1 before she found the range with her forehand and charged back to take the lead.
Even then, she needed to save three break points to take a 6-5 lead, then won the set on her fifth break point against the 10th-seeded Li.