Major tournaments, feted opponents, final rounds – it was, said Barbora Krejcikova on the eve of the biggest match of her life, exactly what she had always wanted. Now she has it all. Unseeded, ranked 33rd in the world and competing in the main draw of a grand slam as a singles player for only the fifth time in her career, Krejcikova defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 to win the French Open.
She becomes the first Czech woman to triumph at Roland Garros since Hana Mandlikova in 1981, but it was the spirit of another of her compatriots, the late Jana Novotna, that inspired Krejcikova here. Novotna, the former Wimbledon champion, was Krejcikova’s coach and confidante until her untimely death from cancer four years ago, and it was to the enduring memory of her mentor that Krejcikova paid tribute in the emotional aftermath of her victory.
“It’s really hard to put words together right now, because I can’t believe what just happened,” said Krejcikova, 25, who will also contest the women’s doubles final on Sunday alongside Katerina Siniakova. “I can’t believe that I actually won a grand slam. I was going through a really hard time when Jana was passing away, I was most of the time with her and I really wanted to experience this because I just felt it was going to make me really strong. Pretty much her last words were, ‘Just enjoy, and try to win a grand slam.’
Gesturing to the heavens, just as she had when hailing Novotna’s influence after her epic semi-final victory over Maria Sakkari, she added: “I know that from somewhere she’s looking after me, and all of this that just happened, this two weeks, is pretty much because she is looking after me from up there. I really thank her. It was amazing that I had a chance to meet her and that she was such an inspiration for me. I really miss her, but I hope that she is happy right now. I’m extremely happy.”
Neither woman had contested a singles final of such magnitude before, although Krejcikova had at least experienced the final weekend of a major as a doubles player. The Czech, a former world No 1 in the discipline, lifted the French Open and Wimbledon titles three years ago in tandem with Siniakova, and has also won the Australian Open mixed doubles three times. She had never previously advanced beyond the fourth round of a major in singles, however, and as she started nervously it was Pavlyuchenkova who drew first blood.
The Russian, playing her first grand slam final at the 52nd attempt, could not capitalise. In the next game, a lunging Krejcikova forehand sailed over her head on break point and, from there, the opening set was one-way traffic. Loose of limb and calm of mind, Krejcikova was everything that Pavlyuchenkova was not, reeling off six straight games.
Alarm bells were ringing in earnest for the Russian when Krejcikova slammed a forehand winner to bring up an immediate chance to break at the start of the second set, but Pavlyuchenkova responded with a superb drive volley. Now she was on her way, lashing winners and playing the same enterprising brand of tennis that had carried her through three-set encounters against Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka and Elena Rybakina.
Having established a 5-2 lead, Pavlyuchenkova called for medical treatment to her left thigh. The Russian, who had spoken of pain in her left knee as early as her third-round victory over Sabalenka – and had worn tape on the offending joint throughout the tournament – had pulled up sharply while stretching for a backhand in the previous game. She appeared to tell the trainer that she was having difficulty pushing off on her left leg.
Pavlyuchenkova returned to the fray with her thigh heavily strapped, and her plight immediately altered the dynamic of the match. Aware of the need to exploit her opponent’s compromised movement, Krejcikova made an unsuccessful attempt at a drop shot, bringing up set point for the Russian. For Pavlyuchenkova, the nature of the task was now clear: get the first strike in or lose. The remit suited her. Stepping inside the baseline, she drilled a backhand winner to level the match.
Having left the court for a lengthy bathroom break, Krejcikova, no doubt conscious of the opportunity that lay before her, cut a frustrated figure as Pavlyuchenkova held in the opening game of the decider. She steadied herself to level and was gifted a break by a Pavlyuchenkova double fault in the next game – only to be pegged back again as the Russian bombardment continued. Now it was Pavlyuchenkova who gave vent to her emotions. She celebrated the break with a roar and found some brilliant serves to hold for 3-2.
It was tense stuff, but Krejcikova’s serenity has been the defining quality of her unforgettable fortnight, and now she rediscovered it, calmly reeling off the next three games to move within touching distance of the title. Inevitably, with so much at stake, there was a wobble. The Czech missed two match points against the Pavlyuchenkova serve at 5-3, and double faulted on a third in the following game. But Krejcikova had promised to fight to the end, and she was as good as her word. Novotna would have been proud.