Australian Open 2012: Petra Kvitova Will Build on Epic 2011 with Aussie Win

By the beginning of the Australian Open, Petra Kvitova could be the top-ranked player in the world.

And with a tournament win, Kvitova will leave no doubt that's where she belongs.

With Caroline Wozniacki bowing out of the Sydney International to seventh-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in the quarterfinals, the stage has been set for Kvitova to take over the top overall ranking with a win at the tournament.

It would be fitting for her to earn the distinction early in 2012 after an epic 2011 season that saw her improve her ranking 32 places to No. 2 by the end of the year.

She also won her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon (and six titles overall) and took home the WTA's Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, the fair play prize and the Breakthrough Player of the Year awards (as voted on by the fans).

And she should be tough on the surface in Australia, if her finish to last year is any indication. From Tennis.com:

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When Kvitova got her feet planted on the ground again, she closed with as persuasive a run on indoor hard courts as any woman has produced in recent memory. She won five straight matches in round-robin and knockout play at the WTA Championships to win it all and came within a hair’s breadth of deposing Caroline Wozniacki as the year-end No. 1. In her last two matches at that event, Kvitova took back-to-back, three-set wins over U.S. Open champ Sam Stosur and Azarenka.

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Look for 2012's player to watch to improve upon her quarterfinals appearance from last year and start 2011 off with a huge bang, winning the Australian Open.

There is no question that Kvitova is one of, if not the most talented young players on the tour today. For what it's worth, Jon Wortheim of Sports Illustrated, who probably knows better than me, agrees:

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If I'm day-trading, I'm loading up on Kvitova stock right now. After her summer swoon, she now has a better sense of what she needs to do to sustain success. She is gradually getting more comfortable with her public profile. Her game is not only unsurpassed but also still improving. And with Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters far closer to the omega of their career than the alpha, almost by default Kvitova is the leading candidate to take the wheel.

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Petra's time has come.

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