World No. 11 Petra Kvitova suffered a bitter end to her run at the ongoing Cincinnati Open 2021. Taking part in the quarterfinals against Angelique Kerber, she retired midway through the second set.

Her retirement gave her German opponent the victory, and a ticket to the semifinals of the tournament. The final scoreline read 6-4, 3-3 (retired)

Angelique Kerber advances to the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open 2021

The two players started the set well, with neither able to force a break in the first eight games. However, in the ninth game, Kerber took her opportunity when she went up 40-30 on Kvitova’s serve. While this was the only break of the set, the German held her serve confidently to clinch the first set 6-4.

While the first set saw just one break, the second set turned out differently. After holding her serve, Kvitova broke the 33-year-old with her first break point of the match to take a 2-0 lead.

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However, Kerber bounced back after trailing 3-0 in the set, winning three games in a row to tie the set at 3-3. After Kerber tied the set, Kvitova signalled her retirement from the match.

This drew a warm embrace from Kerber since the Czech’s match ended in the worst possible way. While the reason for the injury wasn’t very evident, the actual reason for her withdrawal will be revealed in due course.

Kerber to face Ashleigh Barty in the semifinals

The World No. 22 will face World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open. Their last meeting was in the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships, with Barty beating Kerber 6-3, 7-6 (7-3).

The Australian’s victory in Wimbledon gave her a 3-2 lead in their head-to-head. Will the top seed extend that gap with a win in the semifinals? Or will Kerber make it to final and tie it at 3-3?

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