INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic beat 51st-ranked Danka Kovinic of Montenegro 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (5) on Friday in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.
The eighth-seeded Kvitova, who never has gone past the quarterfinals in six appearances at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, lost to players ranked outside the top 50 (Madison Brengle and Jelena Ostapenko) in her past two matches.
The star attraction on this third day of the tournament is the return of Venus Williams after a 15-year absence and the overflow parking lots began to fill up before noon.