Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova serves to Kristina Mladenovic of France in a Women’s singles match during day four of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. | AP photo
WIMBLEDON, England —Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova overcame a shaky start to come back and defeat Kristina Mladenovic, 7-5, 6-2, and reach the third round on Thursday, July 4, 2019.
The No. 7-seeded Kvitova was broken in the opening game and trailed 5-3 in the first set.
Mladenovic served for that set at 5-4 and held three set points but failed to convert, double-faulting away her initial chance to close it out.
Mladenovic later double-faulted twice more to get broken and make it 5-all.
Kvitova, who won titles at the All England Club in 2011 and 2014, wasn’t even sure she could compete at the tournament this year until right before it began.
The left-hander missed the French Open because of an injury to that forearm.