ROME: Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has finally tasted the winning feeling again after a less than impressive return to the sport following the birth of her first child.

The 35-year-old Czech had lost all four of her matches since making a comeback in February after 15 months away, during which time son Petr was born last July.

On Tuesday, however, she beat Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu 7-5, 6-1 in the Italian Open first round in Rome.

“It’s kind of weird that my first one came here,” she told the WTA’s website. “I’ve never played my best tennis here. But it feels much better than losing, that’s for sure.”

Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014 and reached number two in the world, said she had doubted she would ever return to the international arena.

“I was 95% that I would never come back,” she said. “I had enough of tennis at that time. I was like, ‘I can’t do it any more,’ so we decided to try for a baby.

“I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t 100%. When I could do something finally after pregnancy,

I played some tennis and it felt so good. I was laughing. Every shot I hit smoothly, I was like, ‘Wowwww — it’s still there’.”

Kvitova, who plays Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur next, is not putting any expectation on her comeback.

“However long I’m going to enjoy it,” she said.

Kvitova will next face Tunisia’s 27th seed Ons Jabeur.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Lulu Sun came from a set down to beat home hope

wildcard Georgia Pedone 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 while Romanian Jaqueline Cristian routed American Alycia Parks 6-2, 6-0.

Britain’s Sonay Kartal, making her debut at Rome, also advanced after defeating Australian World no 68 Kimberly Birrell 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The 26-year-old Czech player Marie Bouzkova takes out high-flying Egyptian Mayar Sherif 6-2, 7-5 and Peyton Stearns defeated local player Nuria Brancaccio 6-3, 6-2.

In the men’s draw, Alexander Shevchenko, Sebastian Ofner Thiago Seyboth Wild, Dusan Lajovic and Marcelo Barrios recorded straight sets win to advance into the next round.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2025