Kvitova Defeated by Burrage Following Maternity Leave Return

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Jodie Burrage came close to quitting tennis last year following a serious injury setback.

Petra Kvitova’s return from maternity leave after a 17-month absence ended in defeat as Britain’s Jodie Burrage battled back to win in three sets at the ATX Open. Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, 34, was contesting her first WTA match since October 2, 2023, at the China Open in Beijing.

The Czech made a positive start and won the opening set but the 25-year-old Burrage outlasted her opponent to win with scores of 6-3, 4-6, and finally clinched victory in the third set: 6-4. Burrage, ranked 189th in the world, will face Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round.

Kvitova had not been sure whether she would return to tennis after her break due to motherhood duties; she gave birth to son Petr last July. The Czech was partly inspired by other players like Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, and Belinda Bencic who came back from maternity leaves.

Back on the court in Austin, Kvitova took an early lead with a double break of serve within her first four games. Burrage then managed to close the gap to 5-3 before Kvitova re-established control by breaking again and securing the opening set victory.

Kvitova twice broke back as Burrage attempted another comeback in the second set, but she seized momentum with a break in game nine and finished off her serve for love, forcing a deciding third-set tiebreaker. Despite facing break point opportunities at the start of that final frame, both players failed to capitalize.

The pivotal moment came when Burrage held strong against four consecutive break points to reach 4-4 before breaking Kvitova in the next game and serving out for victory.

In related news, fellow Briton Fran Jones reached the second round of the Merida Open in Mexico. Qualifier Jones, ranked 136th globally, led with scores of 6-4 and was ahead 3-0 when opponent Mayar Sherif from Egypt retired unable to continue.