WTA Championships Day 3: Williams-Kvitova battle headlines a loaded day

(1)Serena Williams v (5)Petra Kvitova (Head-to-head: Serena leads 4-0)

The last match of the day is the one most anticipated. What makes it even more special is the fact that this is the first indoor meeting between Serena and Kvitova. And both of them have been highly impressive in their WTA Championships campaign this year – Serena as usual in her first two matches and Kvitova in the only match that she played.

After a lacklustre year, which saw her winning just one title before the US Open, the very talented 2011 Wimbledon champion started upping the intensity in the Asian swing. With more improved fitness Kvitova finally started looking like the competitor she should be. What’s more noticeable is she is now finishing off the points at the net when required, something that was shockingly missing even few months back. An illness-free Kvitova is bubbling with self-belief which was so evident when she came out swinging freely against Radwanska.

Would all that count when she takes on the best player in the world who herself is having one of her most memorable seasons? The Czech has a losing record but in their last encounter in Doha this year, Kvitova did start to display some of the guts and gumption that was expected of her and at one point even led Serena 4-1 in the third set. Petra did admit that it was the first time she actually believed she could beat Serena.

An indoor court and a little weary Serena will help if the Czech does succeed in producing her bullet serves and laser forehands from the word go. But the defending champion has better movement, better serve and far greater mental fortitude and she also has incentive – she will tie the second-longest win streak in the WTA Championships history with a triumph here.

Prediction: Serena wins in three sets.