Petra Kvitova has scaled the heights of the WTA Tour for almost two decades. Since turning pro in 2006, the powerful lefty from Czechia has amassed a hall-of-fame career, including two championship runs on the lawns of Wimbledon, 31 career titles, and reaching a career-high ranking of World No. 2.

One thing Kvitova had not added to her resume is “mom,” and since adding that in July 2024 with the birth of her baby boy, she is back and competing once again in Austin, Texas. 

Kvitova played her first match since October 2023 at the Westwood Country Club and felt a Texas-sized welcome as fans came from near and far to help cheer her on in her comeback match.

This particular swing of the tennis season is one that’s recently been quite successful for her, as just two years ago, she found herself in the Quarters of the Indian Wells Tournament and lifting the trophy as Champion at the Miami Open.

The WTA 250 in Austin has been running for three years, and it leads nicely to those larger tournaments. Weeks prior to the start of her comeback, Kvitova announced to her fans on social media that she missed competition and couldn’t wait to see them back on the court.

Both things rang true in her round match at the ATX Open as she took on Jodie Anna Burrage of Great Britain. Her trademark stinging groundstroke and yells of passion were on display as she grabbed an early lead and kept it long enough to seal the opening set.

Her opponent, Burrage, did well to extend the match to a deciding third set, which Austin fans were eager to see, but the Kvitova comeback didn’t result in a win in its first challenge as Burrage outlasted the Czech 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. 

Kvitova has accepted a wildcard into her next tournament at Indian Wells and will go for another comeback victory there.

Elsewhere at the ATX Open, World No. 4 Jessica Pegula booked a ticket to the Lone Star state in hopes of getting her 2025 season a little more spark. Pegula was taken out early in the Australian Open and came up short in some tight matches during the Middle East swing in Doha and Dubai.

Pegula has never competed in Austin but has quickly taken a liking to the atmosphere and court conditions. The US Open finalist celebrated her 31st birthday at the tournament, and so far, the good vibes have taken her through to the quarter-final stage of the tournament.

If Pegula keeps up the level that has seen her not lose a set so far in the tournament, she may have a new trophy to add to her collection as a timely birthday gift. 

Another player vying to get their hands on the title in Austin is World No. 13 and Olympic Doubles Silver Medalist Diana Shnaider. The 21-year-old lefty had to come back from a slow start in her opening round match as she lost the first six games of the match to Tatiana Prozorova.

Shnaider turned it around and pulled out a gritty 0-6, 6-2, 7-5 win to book her spot into the second round. She won four WTA titles in 2024, and three of them were at 250 level, so she definitely knows how to work her way through the gears at this level.

McCartney Kessler, the tournament’s fifth seed and fresh off the heels of a big win in Dubai over World No. 3 Coco Gauff, also knows a thing or two about the strength of competition at 250 tournaments, having lifted two titles in the past 6th months, at that level.

If Kessler and Shnaider both win their next matches, they’ll set up an intriguing semifinal match-up. The ATX Open runs through March 2, 2025.

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