By Art Spander
Special to NewsdayWIMBLEDON, England -- It might have been less an upset than a preview.
Women's tennis is changing, former champions aging, and failing, a new cast arriving, though a group little known outside the sport.
That the young Czech lefthander Petra Kvitova is the 2011 Wimbledon champion -- defeating Maria Sharapova, 6-3, 6-4, Saturday on Centre Court -- was a surprise to some, but not all.
Especially not to another lefty who came from what then was Czechoslovakia, is now a naturalized U.S. citizen and won nine Wimbledon singles.
"A new star,'' Martina Navratilova said of the 21-year-old Kvitova. "It didn't happen overnight, but she's a champion. It's great.''
Depending on one's viewpoint. Sharapova, 24, who for nearly three years has struggled back from 2008 surgery on her rotator cuff, is the sort of personality tennis needs.
She won Wimbledon in 2004, as a 17-year-old, the U.S. Open in '06 -- remember that commercial built around the song "Maria'' from "West Side Story"? -- and the Australian Open in 2008. She's engaged to the Nets' Sasha Vujacic and although Russian by birth, she speaks flawless English.
But she didn't have much chance against the 6-foot Kvitova, who ended the match with a service ace.
"She was hitting really powerful, and hitting winners from all over the court,'' said Sharapova, who is 6-2. "She made a defensive shot into an offensive one.
"She just kind of laid on a lot of those shots. I think she was more aggressive than I was, hit deeper and got the advantage in points.''
Kvitova, who was a semifinalist last year, losing to eventual champion Serena Williams, opened the match by losing her serve, and seemed affected by the pressure of reaching her first major singles final.
But she broke back immediately, and took control in the sixth game when Sharapova made four straight double faults.
"It's still unbelievable,'' Kvitova said among giggles when asked to describe her feelings. "I don't know. Maybe I accept it.''
She's the third lefthander to win the women's title here after Navratilova and Ann Jones.
"She served quite hard,'' Sharapova said. "The second serve, also, she was going for it. And, yeah, I could have reacted a little bit better. She placed the ball well.''
Sharapova was caught between dismay and hope.
"Besides the fact that I lost,'' Sharapova said, "I think this is a big step for me, being here in the final. You know I feel like I'm proving this year. That gives me a tremendous amount of confidence for the rest of the year.''
Winning certainly didn't hurt the confidence of Kvitova (pronounced Kuh-VIT-uh-vah), who entered the tournament eighth in the WTA rankings, two places down from Sharapova. Kvitova had won three tournaments this year.
"Hopefully not last Grand Slam,'' Kvitova said. "I try play everything. Yeah, my game was improve.''
Caroline Wozniacki, ranked No. 1, has been the star of the new generation, which includes Victoria Azarenka and Agnes Radwanska -- all Europeans -- but Kvitova is the only one of the group to win a major.
"I think she's a much more powerful hitter [than the others],'' Sharapova said of Kvitova. "She has bigger strokes, and I would say a better serve.''
Navratilova and fellow Czech Jana Novotna (the 1998 winner), who watched from the Royal Box, talked to Kvitova afterward.
"They were so happy,'' Kvitova said. "I cried after I met them.''
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British Open,