WIMBLEDON, England — Barbora Krejcikova secured her second major singles title on Saturday after a thrilling match at Wimbledon, raising her hands in celebration and pointing at the sky.
Krejcikova needed three match points and nearly two hours to defeat No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini, a crowd favorite, with a final score of 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. This victory earned her first Wimbledon title, watched by former champions like Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, and Maria Sharapova from the royal box.
Krejcikova became the eighth woman in eight years to win this prestigious title.
“I don’t have any words right now,” Krejcikova told the Centre Court crowd during the trophy presentation. “It’s definitely the best day of my tennis career and also the best day of my life.”
The 28-year-old Czech athlete had previously won the 2021 French Open and 11 major titles in doubles and mixed doubles but had not progressed past the quarterfinals in singles at a Grand Slam since her victory in Paris over three years ago. After a challenging season marked by a back injury, illness, and an 0-4 record on clay, Krejcikova was not a favorite at the All England Club. She had never gone beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon, and her ranking had dropped to No. 32. ESPN BET gave her 100-1 odds to win before the tournament began.
However, Krejcikova improved with each match during the tournament. She beat No. 11 seed Danielle Collins and No. 13 seed Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively. In the semifinals, she bounced back after losing the first set to defeat 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Facing Paolini, the surprise 2024 French Open runner-up, who had staged a comeback in the semifinals against Donna Vekic, Krejcikova controlled the opening set but faced a strong challenge from Paolini, who stormed back in the second set. In the final set, the two traded games until Krejcikova broke Paolini at 3-all after her lone double fault, then struggled to close the match but eventually won on her third match point. Paolini praised Krejcikova after the match, calling her tennis “unbelievable.”
In an interview with ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez, Krejcikova described the match as an “amazing battle” and acknowledged Paolini’s strong play. She revealed she kept repeating “be brave” to herself in the final moments.
With this victory, Krejcikova became the first player in the Open era to win her first two Grand Slam finals in deciding sets. Her 175 games played across the fortnight set a record for a woman champion in the Open era.
During her emotional post-match interview, Krejcikova honored her late mentor Jana Novotna, who won the Wimbledon title in 1998. Novotna passed away from ovarian cancer in 2017.
“When I finished juniors, I didn’t know if I should continue and play pro or if I should pursue education, and Jana was the one who told me I had the potential and to turn pro,” Krejcikova said. “Before she passed away, she told me to go and win a Slam. I achieved that in Paris. It was an unbelievable moment for me, and I never dreamed I would win the same trophy Jana did in 1998.”
After this Wimbledon victory, Krejcikova will return to the top 10 in the rankings. She and Katerina Siniakova, the defending gold medalists in doubles, will aim for the podium again at the Olympics later this month at Roland Garros. Krejcikova will also compete in singles, hoping to maintain her momentum before the US Open.
Paolini, now ranked No. 5 in the world, achieved a new career high following the tournament.