Petra Kvitova stood wide-eyed and perfectly still, scarcely believing she was through to her first French Open quarterfinal in eight years after winning against Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-4. on Monday.
When the chair umpire climbed down and pointed to the mark confirming her two-handed backhand landed just in, she released her emotions. The seventh-seeded Czech player looked up in the air, then blew kisses and waved to the small crowd gathered on Court Philippe Chatrier, the tournament's main stadium.
"Yeah, I got a bit emotional last two points of my match," she said. “My memories, happy memories. When I made my comeback here in 2017, when I step on the Philippe Chatrier, I couldn’t really imagine me to be in the quarterfinal of this slam. Everything just came back to me.”
Three years ago, the left-handed Kvitova made her comeback at Roland Garros after sustaining serious injuries to her left hand following a knife attack by a robber at her home in the Czech Republic.
“When I’m talking, I’m getting emotional again. It’s been a long ride definitely. Everything came to my mind,” she said. “My whole family, people who I loved to help me through the tough, tough time. I don’t know, just everything came back.”
Then there were some match-point nerves to deal with.
At the US Open last month, at the same stage of the competition, Kvitova wasted four match points in a loss to American Shelby Rogers.
“That match was really tough. Even I play great, I mean, I didn’t just make it,” she said. “It happens to me after such a long time that I didn’t win the match from the match point. Especially in a Grand Slam, right? It was really painful.”
Kvitova's two Grand Slam titles were won on the green grass of Wimbledon in 2011 and ‘14.
Success has so far eluded the former second-ranked player on Roland Garros’ red clay. Since her semifinal here eight years ago, she'd reached the fourth round just once prior to this tournament, and that was five years ago.
“It’s been a miracle for me to make the semifinal here," she said. "After eight years to be in the quarterfinal again, it’s great. I’m really happy for that, that I’m still able to play on all surfaces.”
