Barbora Krejcikova’s victory makes her the eighth different woman to win Wimbledon in the past eight years.
Barbora Krejcikova celebrated her second major singles title in a dramatic fashion on Saturday, raising her hands and pointing to the sky after a hard-fought match. She defeated Jasmine Paolini, the No. 7 seed and crowd favorite, in a thrilling 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory to claim her first Wimbledon title, watched by former champions like Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, and Maria Sharapova.
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Krejcikova’s victory makes her the eighth different woman to win Wimbledon in the past eight years.
“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 from Czechia, who previously won the 2021 French Open and 11 major titles in doubles and mixed doubles, had not progressed past the quarterfinals in singles at a Grand Slam since her Paris triumph over three years ago. Her journey this season was marked by a back injury, illness, and an 0-4 record on clay, making her an unlikely favorite at the All England Club. Her ranking had fallen to No. 32, and ESPN BET gave her 100-1 odds to win the tournament.
However, Krejcikova improved with each match, defeating No. 11 seed Danielle Collins and No. 13 seed Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets. In the semifinals, she overcame 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in three sets.
Facing Paolini in the final, who had staged a comeback in the semifinals against Donna Vekic, Krejcikova dominated the first set but struggled in the second. In the decisive set, the players traded games until Krejcikova broke Paolini at 3-all. Despite some difficulty closing out the match, she secured victory on her third match point.
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“You played unbelievable,” Paolini said to Krejcikova on court. “You play such beautiful tennis.”
Krejcikova described the match as an “amazing battle” in an interview with ESPN, emphasizing her focus on being brave in the final moments.
With this win, Krejcikova became the first player in the Open era to win her first two Grand Slam finals in deciding sets. Her 175 games played over the fortnight in singles are the most by a woman champion in the Open era.
In her post-match interview, Krejcikova became emotional when talking about her late mentor Jana Novotna, who won Wimbledon in 1998 and passed away from ovarian cancer in 2017. Krejcikova recounted Novotna’s encouragement to pursue a professional career and win a Grand Slam, a dream she realized in Paris and now at Wimbledon.
Following her victory, Krejcikova will return to the top 10 in the rankings. She will also compete in the Olympics at the end of the month, defending her gold medal in doubles with Katerina Siniakova and aiming to continue her success in singles ahead of the US Open.
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Paolini, meanwhile, will rise to No. 5 in the world, a new career high.