Petra Kvitova wins first Eastbourne singles title ahead of Wimbledon return

Petra Kvitova clinched the Eastbourne singles title for the first time with a dominant straight-sets victory over defending champion Jelena Ostapenko at the Rothesay International.

Two-time Wimbledon winner Kvitova - a beaten finalist here in 2011 - controlled a one-sided encounter from the outset en route to triumphing 6-3 6-2 in just an hour and 16 minutes.

Eighth seed Ostapenko had previously not dropped a set all week at Devonshire Park but struggled to deal with the Czech’s booming serve and blistering forehand during an error-strewn display.

Victory for Kvitova brought a 29th career singles title and a big confidence boost ahead of a first-round Wimbledon meeting with Italian Jasmine Pasolini.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams said she was motivated by creating a better Wimbledon memory as she returned to the All England Club 12 months on from her tearful departure.

The 23-time grand slam singles champion suffered a hamstring injury during her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich after slipping on Centre Court and pulled out during the first set.

"It was always something since the match ended that was always on my mind," said Williams. "So it was a tremendous amount of motivation for that."

Reporting by Press Association.