Petra Kvitova Wins Wimbledon Title

Czech Petra Kvitova won her first Grand Slam title with a straight-sets victory over former champion Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon final.

The Russian fifth seed - champion seven years ago and a three-time Grand Slam winner - had not dropped a set coming into Saturday's final against the eighth seed.

But she had no answer to Kvitova's power and variation, with the left-hander winning her first Grand Slam final 6-3 6-4.

Sharapova gave a determined display but was betrayed by her misfiring serve, including six double faults.Kvitova looked nervous before a ball was struck and, after Sharapova won the toss and opted to receive, promptly dropped serve.

It was not, however, a sign of things to come. The 21-year-old broke back straightaway as Sharapova's service troubles became immediately obvious, not least the amount of time she was taking to compose herself between points.

The crucial game of the first set was the sixth, Kvitova taking it to open a 4-2 advantage courtesy of consecutive Sharapova double faults.

A pair of service holds, the second to love, was enough for Kvitova to close out the set and she broke immediately at the start of the second.

She consolidated for a 2-0 lead before Sharapova showed her renowned fighting qualities, somehow forcing her way back to 3-3 as both players struggled to hold on their own delivery.But the winners, particularly on returns of serve, never stopped coming from Kvitova's racquet and she broke Sharapova again for 4-3.

The Czech's kick serve to the body was used twice to good effect to hold for a 5-3 lead before Sharapova rallied for the final time, holding to at least make her opponent serve out the match.

She did so in some style, going 40-0 up before unleashing an ace down the middle - her first of the match - to seal victory in one hour and 25 minutes.

In doing so she became the first left-hander to triumph in the women's singles at SW19 since her hero Martina Navratilova in 1990; and the first Czech since Jana Novotna in 1998 - both of whom were in the crowd.