Barbora Krejcikova claims her second Grand Slam title with a victory over Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon final. The Czech player defies expectations to win 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
Bollywood Fever: Barbora Krejcikova continued to defy expectations by winning her second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon on Saturday. The Czech player triumphed over Jasmine Paolini in a thrilling final with a score of 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
Krejcikova, who previously won the French Open three years ago as an unseeded player, described the victory as the pinnacle of her tennis career. “It’s just unreal what just happened. Definitely the best day of my tennis career — and also the best day of my life,” said the 28-year-old, attributing her success to her late mentor, 1998 Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna.
Despite her success, Krejcikova maintained a sense of disbelief, calling herself “the lucky one” for defeating the seventh-seeded Paolini, who was also a runner-up at the French Open last month.
Krejcikova’s journey to the Wimbledon final was marked by challenges, including illness and a back injury earlier in the season that left her with a 7-9 record before the tournament. Her first-round match was a three-setter, adding to doubts about her performance. However, she overcame these obstacles to secure the title.
In a display of sportsmanship, Paolini praised Krejcikova during the trophy ceremony, saying, “You play such beautiful tennis.”
This victory makes Krejcikova the eighth woman to win Wimbledon in the past eight editions. Last year’s champion, also from the Czech Republic, was unseeded Marketa Vondrousova.
Paolini’s achievement of reaching both the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals in the same season is a feat last accomplished by Serena Williams in 2016. Unfortunately, she also became the first since Venus Williams in 2002 to lose both finals.
The final match saw both players taking turns dominating. Krejcikova started strong, winning 10 of the first 11 points and securing a double-break lead at 5-1. Despite the crowd’s support for Paolini, Krejcikova maintained her composure and control.
Krejcikova’s strategy involved staying at the baseline, delivering precise groundstrokes and winning lengthy exchanges. Although Paolini attempted to vary her game with serve-and-volley rushes and drop shots, Krejcikova’s consistency prevailed.
After losing the first set, Paolini made a comeback in the second, using deep groundstrokes to gain a 3-0 lead. She won the second set, but Krejcikova regrouped and returned to the court with renewed determination.
Krejcikova’s shots, which had faltered in the second set, were back to their sharpness in the third. “I was just telling myself to be brave,” she said.
At 3-all in the deciding set, Paolini double-faulted, giving Krejcikova the break. Krejcikova held serve to lead 5-3 and, despite facing two break points and requiring three match points to secure the win, she finally triumphed when Paolini missed a backhand.
“Nobody believes that I got to the final. And I think nobody’s going to believe that I won Wimbledon,” Krejcikova said. “I still cannot believe it. It’s unbelievable.”
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