In October, Petra Kvitova recorded the 60th Top 10 win of her career with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Paula Badosa in Ostrava.
Today, she hit another big-win milestone and by almost exactly the same scoreline, recording the 30th Top 5 win of her career with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory over Jessica Pegula at the United Cup in Sydney.
A former No. 2 herself, she’s now been beating Top 5 players for more than 13 years—her first Top 5 win came against a No. 1-ranked Dinara Safina in the third round of the 2009 US Open.
KVITOVA’S TOP 5 WINS (30):
d. No. 1 Safina in 2009 US Open 3rd Rd
d. No. 4 Wozniacki in 2010 Wimbledon 4th Rd
d. No. 2 Clijsters in 2011 Paris F
d. No. 3 Zvonareva in 2011 Madrid 3rd Rd
d. No. 5 Azarenka in 2011 Madrid F
d. No. 5 Azarenka in 2011 Wimbledon SFs
d. No. 2 Sharapova in 2011 Tokyo QFs
d. No. 1 Wozniacki in 2011 WTA Finals RR
d. No. 4 Azarenka in 2011 WTA Finals RR
d. No. 4 Radwanska in 2013 Dubai QFs
d. No. 5 Li in 2013 Beijing QFs
d. No. 4 Radwanska in 2013 WTA Finals RR
d. No. 2 Sharapova in 2014 WTA Finals RR
d. No. 1 Serena in 2015 Madrid SFs
d. No. 4 Wozniacki in 2015 New Haven SFs
d. No. 4 Sharapova in 2015 WTA Finals SFs
d. No. 4 Muguruza in 2016 Stuttgart QFs
d. No. 1 Kerber in 2016 Wuhan 3rd Rd
d. No. 5 Halep in 2016 Wuhan SFs
d. No. 4 Muguruza in 2016 Beijing 3rd Rd
d. No. 3 Muguruza in 2017 US Open 4th Rd
d. No. 3 Svitolina in 2018 Doha 3rd Rd
d. No. 1 Wozniacki in 2018 Doha SFs
d. No. 4 Muguruza in 2018 Doha F
d. No. 2 Kerber in 2019 Sydney QFs
d. No. 1 Barty in 2020 Doha SFs
d. No. 2 Sabalenka in 2022 Dubai 2nd Rd
d. No. 5 Jabeur in 2022 Cincinnati 3rd Rd
d. No. 4 Badosa in 2022 Ostrava 2nd Rd
d. No. 3 Pegula in 2023 United Cup RR
Kvitova’s win over Pegula in Sydney was also a little bit of revenge—the American beat the Czech handily in their last meeting, 6-3, 6-2, in the fourth round of the US Open earlier this year.