After a 17-month hiatus, Petra Kvitova’s much-anticipated comeback from maternity leave ended in a hard-fought battle at the ATX Open, where she fell to Britain’s rising star Jodie Burrage in three sets.
Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon winner now aged 34, hadn’t competed in a WTA match since October 2, 2023, when she played at the China Open in Beijing. She showed her competitive spirit by clinching the first set, but Burrage, who’s just 25, mounted an impressive comeback to take the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. With this victory, Burrage, currently ranked 189th in the world, advances to face Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in the next round.
The Czech tennis star became a mother last July, welcoming her son Petr, and initially wasn’t certain if she’d return to the sport before taking the break. However, witnessing the successful post-birth comebacks of players like Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, and Belinda Bencic ignited her determination to return to the court.
Back in action, Kvitova displayed her prowess by jumping to a four-game advantage, securing an early double break in Austin. Despite Burrage’s effort to close the gap to 5-3, Kvitova maintained her momentum to secure the first set.
The second set was a tightly contested affair. Kvitova, a former world number two turning 35 in March, twice clawed back from behind as Burrage turned up the heat. Nonetheless, Burrage broke again in the pivotal ninth game and held her serve with precision to set up a decisive third set.
Both players initially hesitated to convert break points at the onset of the final set. The turning point arrived when Burrage successfully defended four break points to even the score at 4-4, then proceeded to break Kvitova in the subsequent game before confidently serving out the match.
Meanwhile, over in Mexico, fellow Briton Fran Jones made it to the second round of the Merida Open. Ranked 136th, she was leading 6-4, 3-0 when her opponent, Egypt’s Mayar Sherif, had to retire from the match.
