Watch: Petra Kvitova hits 4 aces in a row in 1R win in St. Petersburg

After a string of poor showings in Australia last month, Petra Kvitova got back to winning ways in St. Petersburg. The sixth seed began her campaign at the WTA 500 event with an emphatic 6-2, 6-1 win over German qualifier Jule Niemeier.

Kvitova broke Niemeier's serve in the first game of the match and consolidated the break for a 2-0 lead. She played to her strengths and outmuscled the German from the baseline throughout the match.

The main highlight for Kvitova came at 5-2 when she was serving for the set. The southpaw thundered down four aces in a row, three down the middle and one out wide, to wrap up the set in 35 minutes.

Serving four consecutive aces is not a new accomplishment for the two-time Grand Slam champion. She pulled off a similar feat against Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic in the first round of Wimbledon in 2019 en route to a 7-5, 6-2 win.

Petra Kvitova looking for title 2nd title in St. Petersburg

Petra Kvitova won her 21st career title in St. Petersburg in 2018

Petra Kvitova had a dismal start to the season in Australia, where she managed a single win across three tournaments. After early exits in Adelaide and Sydney, she suffered a humiliating 6-2, 6-2 loss against unseeded Sorana Cirsea in her opening-round match at the Australian Open.

The Czech will now be hoping to bounce back in St. Petersburg. Kvitova is gunning for a second title in the Russian city and 29th overall.

Having beaten qualifier Jule Niemeier in the opening round, the 31-year-old will take on either Irina-Camelia Begu or Zhang Shuai in the second. She has winning head-to-head records of 5-0 and 4-2 respectively against Begu and Zhang.

Kvitova is slated to travel to the Middle East next week to participate in the WTA 500 event in Dubai from February 14 and the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha from February 20. She is a two-time champion in Doha (2018, 2021) and one-time winner in Dubai (2018).