Petra kvitova poses with the trophy after the Women's Singles final match of the Aegon Classic Birmingham 2017

Petra kvitova into final of the Aegon Classic Birmingham 2017

BIRMINGHAM, England 
Petra Kvitova moved into the final at the Aegon Classic in Birmingham for the first time in her career on Saturday, as compatriot Lucie Safarova was forced to retire with a lingering right leg injury in the semifinals with Kvitova leading 6-1, 1-0.

In just her second tournament back following a hand injury suffered in a home invasion in December, Kvitova returns to a WTA final for the first time since winning the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai in November.

"I was just thinking about my game, and yeah, I'm sorry for her that she's unhealthy, but I hope she will be better soon," Kvitova said. "I think she had a great run here for sure. I'm happy that I'm in the final, but the way I am going is a bit weird. The hand is good, which is the best news which I can have, and I am not feeling any pain, and that's the best news."

Ashleigh Barty into final of the Aegon Classic Birmingham 2017

BIRMINGHAM, England
No.77-ranked Ashleigh Barty is through to the biggest final of her career after taking down Garbiñe Muguruza in three sets at the Aegon Classic Birmingham.

 The No.6 seed Muguruza, a former Wimbledon finalist, bossed the first set but couldn’t contain the Aussie as she mounted her comeback to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

“I think she played very well,” Muguruza said in her post-match press conference. “She was very smart with the slice, which I think is a difficult shot on the grass.

Petra kvitova into SFs of the Aegon Classic Birmingham 2017

BIRMINGHAM, Great Britain
The Petra Kvitova Comeback Train is picking up speed at the Aegon Classic. Playing just her second tournament of 2017, the Czech star outpaced Kristina Mladenovic, 6-4, 7-6(5) to reach the final four in Birmingham.

Camila giorgi win's over elina svitolina into Birmingham 2017

BIRMINGHAM, England
Qualifier Camila Giorgi won six of the last seven games to defeat No.2 seed Elina Svitolina, the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals at the Aegon Classic on Thursday.

While the Italian has seen her ranking slip outside the world's top 100 this season for the first time in three years, her pedigree always precedes her. Always dangerous, particularly on grass, the 25-year-old recorded her eighth career top 10 victory with the secound round win.

"Today was a great match, I played really well. It was a very good level," Giorgi said on-court after the match. "It's really important to play as many matches as possible, so [playing qualifying] helped me." 

Elina Svitolina advances into Aegon Classic Birmingham 2017. Konta out

BIRMINGHAM, England 
Elina Svitolina was pushed all the way by wildcard Heather Watson in the first round of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham on Monday, but came through the test in three sets, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.

The highest-ranked player in the draw after the withdrawal of World No.1 Angelique Kerber, Svitolina rolled through the opening set before Watson rallied late in the second set to force a decider, which went the World No.5's way behind one break of serve.

The Brit hit back to save two match points in the final game of the match, but was unable to create a break point opportunity at any point in the third set.  

"I've been struggling a little bit on grass for the past few years...and I like the way I played today, the way I handled the game, the tight moments as well," Svitolina assessed. "I was expecting that she would come back and play well because, she always plays well on grass and can be very dangerous player. I was very happy that I could finish in the third set on my serve. It was actually a pretty good game.

Aegon Classic Birmingham 2017. Tournament info

2017 Birmingham

LEVEL: Premier

CITY: BIRMINGHAM
LOCATION: GREAT BRITAIN
PRIZE MONEY:  $819,940

Maria Sharapova announced that she will be forced to withdraw from the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, along with subsequent grass court tournaments, due to injury.

Maria Sharapova took to her official Facebook page on Saturday to announce that she will be unable to participate in the grass court season due to the injury sustained at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.

Sharapova was leading Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the final set of their second round encounter when the Russian was forced to retire, prematurely ending her clay court season.

Planning to return at the Aegon Classic in Birmingham  the injury proved more serious than it initially appeared, and Sharapova will next play at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford.

Maria Sharapova accepts Birmingham 2017 WC

BIRMINGHAM, Great Britain
Five-time Grand Slam Champion Maria Sharapova has today been named as the first of seven main draw singles wild cards for this summer’s British WTA grass court events organised by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). The former World No.1 will play the Aegon Classic Birmingham for the first time in seven years, and has committed to playing both the 2017 and 2018 events.

“I am really excited to be coming back to Birmingham this year to play on the grass as part of my build up to Wimbledon and I thank the LTA for this opportunity," Sharapova said in a statement.
"I have some great memories of playing there over the years, including winning the title on two previous occasions.  I am looking forward to seeing all the recent improvements the tournament has made to establish itself as one of the best grass court events in the world.”