Kvitová knocks out Kudermetova to reach Miami quarterfinals, faces Swiatek next

Despite some early struggles on serve, Petra Kvitova was able to outlast Veronika Kudermetova to reach her third quarterfinal at the Miami Open.

The two-time Grand Slam champion pulled off a 7-6(5) 6-4 victory on Monday night, relying on her experience and grit to advance in their fourth round encounter. Although unimpressive on serve as she won barely over half of her points behind her first serve, Kvitova was able to employ her consistent baseline game to survive a Kudermetova comeback.

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After exchanging breaks in the first set, a tiebreak ensued that saw the Czech star prevail thanks to her superior shot-placement. The second set saw both ladies engage in another exchange of breaks, but it was Kvitova who maintained the lead as she closed out her opponent after an hour and 52 minutes.

The former World No.1 will face soon-to-be World No.1 Iga Swiatek in an enticing quarterfinal matchup, in what will be their first meeting on the WTA circuit.