Petra Kvitova beats Elena Rybakina at Adelaide International II

• This month, there are two ATP-WTA Adelaide Internationals.
• Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova loses in straight sets to Swiss qualifier.
• Petra Kvitova defeated Elena Rybakina.

Petra Kvitova defeated Elena Rybakina in the battle of Wimbledon champions at the Adelaide International II on Monday.

Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, defeated the current All England Club champion 6-3, 7-5 in round one to exact some vengeance.

Rybakina, ranked 23rd in Russia, won their first meeting last year in Ostrava.

Winning flex 💪@Petra_Kvitova gets in the 2023 win column impressing against Rybankina 6-3, 7-5#AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/wx42YmGdTY

— wta (@WTA) January 9, 2023

Kvitova, the world number 16, never faced a break point in 86 minutes, breaking Rybakina at the end of each set to advance safely.

“I tried to play faster than Elena,” said Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion.

“She played really well (in Ostrava), it was a good match, and I know she serves really well.

“I was concentrating on my serve and hoping for some chances to break her.”

This month, there are two ATP-WTA Adelaide Internationals, with Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka winning in week one.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who reached the final of the 2021 French Open and rose to number 11 in the world, also lost, falling 7-5, 6-4 to Swiss qualifier Jil Teichmann.

It was the Russian’s first match in eight months, following a season-ending knee injury in May.

Danielle Collins of the United States was eliminated in the first round of the Adelaide International last week.

Teichmann’s next opponent will be the 2022 Australian Open finalist, who defeated Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 6-4.

Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, ranked 15, also advanced, defeating Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.

Iga Swiatek, the top-ranked player in the world, and Jessica Pegula, who is ranked third, were scheduled to play this week but withdrew following their respective performances for Poland and the United States at the United Cup.

In the men’s draw, Jack Draper of the United Kingdom defeated Lorenzo Sonego of Italy with ease in straight sets, while Mackenzie McDonald of the United States defeated Dan Evans of the United Kingdom 7-5, 7-5.

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