Current:Home > InvestBarbora Krejcikova wins Wimbledon for her second Grand Slam trophy by beating Jasmine Paolini-LoTradeCoin
Barbora Krejcikova wins Wimbledon for her second Grand Slam trophy by beating Jasmine Paolini
View Date:2024-12-23 19:54:43
LONDON (AP) — Barbora Krejcikova kept insisting that nobody — not her friends, not her family, not even herself — would believe she won Wimbledon for her second Grand Slam title.
Her first major championship, as an unseeded player at the French Open three years ago, certainly was a surprise. This one, which came via a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Jasmine Paolini in the final at the All England Club on Saturday, was maybe just as unpredictable, sure, but perhaps now it’s time to recognize that these sorts of results from Krejcikova are not only possible but make perfect sense.
“It’s just unreal what just happened. Definitely the best day of my tennis career — and also the best day of my life,” said Krejcikova, a 28-year-old from the Czech Republic, who thanked her late mentor, 1998 Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna, for pushing her into professional tennis.
Even while holding her gold champion’s plate, Krejcikova described herself as “the lucky one” for getting past the seventh-seeded Paolini, who also was the runner-up at the French Open last month.
Krejcikova was only the 31st of 32 seeds at the All England Club after illness and a back injury this season limited her to a 7-9 record entering this tournament. Then came a three-setter in the first round last week, adding to the doubts.
But by the end of the fortnight, there Paolini was during the trophy ceremony, telling Krejcikova: “You play such beautiful tennis.”
Krejcikova is the eighth woman to leave Wimbledon as the champion in the past eight editions of the event. Last year’s champion also is from the Czech Republic: unseeded Marketa Vondrousova, who lost in the first round last week.
Paolini is the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to get to the finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same season — and the first since Venus Williams in 2002 to lose both.
Saturday’s finalists took turns being in charge.
Playing coolly and efficiently — seemingly effortlessly — Krejcikova claimed 10 of the first 11 points and quickly owned a double-break lead at 5-1.
As much as the crowd, likely because of a desire to see a more competitive contest, pulled loudly for Paolini, yelling “Forza!” (“Let’s go!”) the way she often does, or “Calma!” (“Be calm!”), Krejcikova never wavered.
She has net skills, to be sure — that’s part of why she has won seven Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, including two at Wimbledon — but Krejcikova mainly was content to stay back at the baseline, simply delivering one smooth groundstroke after another to its appointed spot and getting the better of the lengthiest exchanges.
There really was no need for anything other than Plan A in the early going in front of a Centre Court crowd that included actors Tom Cruise, Kate Beckinsale and Hugh Jackman.
Paolini did try to shake things up a bit, with the occasional serve-and-volley rush forward or drop shot, but she couldn’t solve Krejcikova. Not yet, anyway.
After the lopsided first set, Paolini went to the locker room. She emerged a different player, one who no longer looked like someone burdened by residual fatigue from the longest women’s semifinal in Wimbledon history, her 2-hour, 51-minute win over Donna Vekic on Thursday.
Paolini had come back from dropping the first set in that one, so she knew she had it in her. And she began the second set against Krejcikova in style, using deep groundstrokes to grab a 3-0 advantage.
Once the match was tied at a set apiece, it was Krejcikova who left the court to try to recalibrate.
Her shots that suddenly went so awry in the match’s middle — after just four winners in the second set, she accumulated 14 in the third — were back to being crisp and clean.
“I was just telling myself to be brave,” Krejcikova said.
At 3-all in the deciding set, it was Paolini who faltered, double-faulting for the only time all afternoon to get broken.
Krejcikova then held at love for 5-3, but when she served for the championship, things got a little tougher.
She needed to save a pair of break points and required three match points to get across the finish line, winning 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 several minutes later. “I still cannot believe it. It’s unbelievable.”
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
veryGood! (4859)
Related
- NFL coaches diversity report 2024: Gains at head coach, setbacks at offensive coordinator
- 9 more ways to show your friends you love them, recommended by NPR listeners
- What Will Be the Health Impact of 100+ Days of Exposure to California’s Methane Leak?
- Vaccines used to be apolitical. Now they're a campaign issue
- Mike Tyson is expected to honor late daughter during Jake Paul fight. Here's how.
- Christian McCaffrey's Birthday Tribute to Fiancée Olivia Culpo Is a Complete Touchdown
- 'Comfort Closet' helps Liberians overcome an obstacle to delivering in a hospital
- I always avoided family duties. Then my dad had a fall and everything changed
- The Latin Grammys are almost here for a 25th anniversary celebration
- Paying for mental health care leaves families in debt and isolated
Ranking
- The 10 Best Cashmere Sweaters and Tops That Feel Luxuriously Soft and Are *Most Importantly* Affordable
- Derek Jeter Privately Welcomes Baby No. 4 With Wife Hannah Jeter
- Climate Legal Paradox: Judges Issue Dueling Rulings for Cities Suing Fossil Fuel Companies
- High up in the mountains, goats and sheep faced off over salt. Guess who won
- Democrat Ruben Gallego wins Arizona US Senate race against Republican Kari Lake
- Vanderpump Rules’ Tom Sandoval Reveals He’s One Month Sober
- Real Housewives' Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann Break Up After 11 Years of Marriage
- A woman struggling with early-onset Alzheimer's got a moment of grace while shopping
Recommendation
-
What are the best financial advising companies? Help USA TODAY rank the top U.S. firms
-
How Ben Affleck Always Plays a Part In Jennifer Lopez's Work
-
Flash Deal: Get 2 It Cosmetics Mascaras for Less Than the Price of 1
-
How Teddi Mellencamp's Cancer Journey Pushed Her to Be Vulnerable With Her Kids
-
Kirk Herbstreit berates LSU fans throwing trash vs Alabama: 'Enough is enough, clowns'
-
Today’s Climate: July 10-11, 2010
-
Climate Activists Disrupt Gulf Oil and Gas Auction in New Orleans
-
How this Brazilian doc got nearly every person in her city to take a COVID vaccine