Krejčíková's French Open success: a title for Jana Novotná

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Barbora Krejčíková and the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen

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ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP

The crux of the match:

It was 3: 3 in the decisive third set. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was 0:30 behind on her own serve when Barbora Krejčíková took the game from her opponent with two strong winners. This to-zero break to 4: 3 was the crux of a set that had been balanced until then. Because even if the Russian could stand up again - it was noticeable in the match and the players that the wind had turned.

Result

: Barbora Krejčíková won the final of the French Open against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6: 1, 2: 6, 6: 4 and thus celebrated her first Grand Slam title. It is the sixth time in a row that winning the title in Paris is also the first Grand Slam success for a player. Krejčíková is also only the third unseeded player after Jelena Ostapenko (2017) and Iga Świątek (2020) who succeeded there.

And

rightly so in the final

: you have long known, dear readers, that these two women are players who had not even made it into a semifinals in a Grand Slam tournament before. Your path in Paris shows, however, that you were right in the final. The unseeded Krejčíková has thrown the number five seeded Elina Switolina and Cori Gauff (24) out of the tournament in her fifth Grand Slam main round. Pavlyuchenkova (31) stood in the way of Aryna Sabalenka (3) and Wiktoryja Azarenka (15).

1st set

: Two double errors and a so-called Unforced Error made Krejčíková lose her service game right at the beginning of the match. The 25-year-old did not let that bother her. On the contrary: a little later she forced her opponent to play, and got Pavlyuchenkova, actually a strong return player, going. With calm, clarity and a colorful stroke variation, she made one point after the other, the tenth winner and a subsequent ace brought her the fourth game in a row. Pavlyuchenkova's game looked headless at this point, after 32 minutes Krejčíková had won the first round 6-1.

Waiting for Pavlyuchenkova

: The Russian has already competed 51 times in a Grand Slam tournament before Paris, she played 122 games up to this final in one of the four most important tennis events, six times she was in the quarter-finals, most recently in Melbourne in 2020. At the 52nd attempt it finally went on. Never before has a player had to wait so long for her first major final. When asked what her talented teenage self would tell her about making it to the finals, 29-year-old Pavlyuchenkova replied: "My 14-year-old I would say: Why did it take so long?" Both of them are still going to win their first major have to wait further.

2nd set:

While Krejčíková only needed one game to bring her top level onto the pitch, it took her counterpart that very first set until Pavlyuchenkova reached this final - and her very first service game in this match for 1 : 0 could get through. With that, the Russian found her game, even more: she decided on all-or-nothing tennis. With success.

Tape, snack, set

: shortly before the end of the second sentence, the Russian seemed to have pulled herself a little. After a break from Krejčíková, Pavlyuchenkova brought the physiotherapist over to him. Lo and behold: As in the semifinals, she treated herself to an unusual snack in the finals. While she was on her stomach on the mat and the left thigh was kneaded, she sniffed away a few gummy bears. A tape bandage and a backhand cross into the corner to 6: 2 later she had forced her opponent into the decisive set.

3rd sentence:

In the decisive round, the close match that had been expected from the beginning finally developed. Both players now showed their best tennis, two service games won, two breaks followed, followed by two service games won. After the 4: 3 clear game, Krejčíková clearly had the so-called momentum on her side. But the Czech, who says of herself that it is always difficult for her to close the match at such moments, needed four match points again before she could throw her hands up after her opponent returned too long.

Two is Better?

With this already impressive victory, the Czech also has the chance of an unusual double, as she is also in the final in the doubles competition.

At the side of compatriot Kateřina Siniaková, she will meet Iga Swiatek and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (Poland / USA) on Sunday afternoon (11.30 a.m.; TV: Eurosport).

The French Mary Pierce celebrated a double success in Roland Garros in 2000.

In 2016 Serena Williams won singles and doubles at Wimbledon.

Her chances are not bad, as she has already won two Grand Slam tournaments (French Open and Wimbledon, both in 2018) in doubles.

Thanks to the mentor

: It took a while for the dimensions of this victory to reach Krejčíková. Her coach Petr Kovačka had long been crying in the stands when his protégé was still absent looking through the Philippe-Chatrier arena. At the microphone, the debutante was caught up with her feelings. She first thanked everyone who is close to her, mother, father, trainer, siblings, yes, even niece and nephew were named. It was such a long list that the new French Open champion became out of breath. Then, like the days before, she looked up to the sky and thanked her trainer and mentor, the 17-time Grand Slam winner Jana Novotná, who passed away in 2017. "Her last words were: Enjoy the game and try to win a Grand Slam," said Krejčíková in a broken voice. "I hope,she is happy right now. "