Kvitova outlasts Li at Montreal Masters for 1st title of season
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MONTREAL (AFP) - Former Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova claimed her first title of 2012 as she won a battle of ex-grand slam champions, beating China's Li Na 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 at the Montreal Masters on Monday.
Kvitova, the fifth seed, rode a roller coaster in the 62-minute opening set which featured 17 break points between the error-prone pair with a dozen of those saved.
The momentum shifts were fast and frequent in the opener, with the 22-year-old Czech and her Chinese opponent, who won Roland Garros last season, exchanging the lead back and forth. Kvitova finally took the early lead on a fifth set point in a monster final game.
Dropping the first set seemed to spur on Li, 30, who had come from 5-1 down in her semi-final win over Lucie Safarova, and the 2011 Paris champion won a break at the start of the second set and went on to win it and level the match.
