Centre Court was filled with sunshine on Saturday as Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini. 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 In a great women’s final.
Krejcikova is now 12– A Grand Slam winner, she has won the doubles title ten times and the singles title twice. The Czech native won her other singles title at Roland Garros. 2021.
She follows in the footsteps of her former coach and mentor, Jana Novotna, who tragically passed away early from cancer. 49 In ~ 2017.
“I never dreamed that I would win a trophy like the one Jana won. 1998” said Kreichkova.
““It was Yana who told me I had potential and told me to turn pro.”
Krejcikova played a flawless first set and easily powered the overall match with her beautiful technique.
In the second set, the Italian fan favorite, encouraged by the crowd, turned the tables with agility, powerful groundstrokes and deft touch.
(Photo of Henry Nichols / (AFFE))
In the final set, Italy held at love and seemed to have the momentum, but the Czechs held at love. The match remained tied until the Czechs broke in a long game. three-Everyone was protected by love 5-three. Italy held on and fought hard in the final game, with the Czechs needing three match points to seal the win.
“Yes, it’s hard to say today,” Paolini said at the post-match press conference. “Yes, it’s been a really good two weeks. I have to accept today and work hard. I’m sure I can do it, but it’s hard to say today. I was close, but it wasn’t enough.”
“Today I had a dream about winning a trophy, but it didn’t work out. Yes, I’m just enjoying where I am right now. 5 Oh my gosh. It’s unbelievable, really. I just played in two finals at two Grand Slams. I have to be happy with the results. And I’m a little disappointed, too, you know.”
Paolini said of her opponent’s game: “Of course I think she serves better than me. I also think she moves the ball very well. She can throw her shots at a really good angle. She’s a very complete player. She’s really good.
“Yeah, I think she was a little bit closer to the line for me. I was a little bit too far back on the court, especially in the first set. She got to the ball earlier and moved me.
“But then I tried to serve better and push more. I got a little bit better, but I still think she did really well. I think her serve quality was better than mine.”
“I’m really happy to win today. Yes, to be able to lift the trophy. Yes, it feels really good,” Krejcikova said at the post-match press conference.
The new Wimbledon champion said she had no idea what was going on in the tournament. “I mean, I had a really tough draw from the first game. I just kept going. I was just feeling better and better.
“Yeah, I mean, here I am. I don’t know how that happens. But, yeah, I’m the winner of this edition.”
Asked when Wimbledon became her dream, Krejcikova said: “It’s hard to say. Well, winning a Slam is a big deal. Winning Wimbledon means a lot to me.
“But I can’t say it’s similar to what I dreamed of when I was very young. I have a little notebook that I used to write in when I was young. 12. Well, I think I was looking through those notes maybe three or four months ago.
“I had the same thing in the future as I did back then. 12I wrote that I wanted to win the French Open in the future. So winning the French Open was a very big dream for me.
“To be honest, things might have been a little different if I had actually met Jana and she told me all about Wimbledon, the grass, how hard it was for her to win the title, and how emotional she was when she actually won.
“Since then, I think I started to see Wimbledon as the biggest tournament in the world.”
