By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday July 11, 2024

Barbora Krejcikova was relieved to finally get a game in the opening set of today’s second Wimbledon women’s singles semifinal on Centre Court.

The Czech was under the pump from the start against 2022 champion Elena Ryabkina, a hard serving menace who had emerged from the first ten days of these Championships as the heavy favorite to win it all.



What happened next is hard to explain.

Guided by voices from the past (more on that later), and her own keen tennis intellect, the 28-year-old used that first victorious game as a sliver of hope and went on to build a fortress that proved impossible for Rybakina to overcome. Over the next two and a half sets, Krejcikova played the tennis of her dreams, in the sports’ hallowed cathedral, and pulled and upset for the ages, taking her place in the final, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Her victory sets an unlikely final with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, the No.7 seed, who edged Croatia’s Donna Vekic in a drama-packed semifinal earlier on Thursday, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(8).

“It’s unbelievable,” an emotional Krejcikova told the crowd after match point. “It’s very tough to explain what I’m feeling right now, but it’s a lot of joy and a lot of emotions, also a lot of relief – I’m just super proud about my game and about my fighting spirit today.”

What made the difference today?

“I don’t know,” Krejcikova said. “I was down, I started 0-4 – I was happy that I won the first game, and then I was just trying to fight for every single ball.”

The No.31 seed, who improved to 18-7 lifetime on grass with the win, said she eventually got into a tennis trance, and simply had to hang on for the ride for the rest of the way.

“I felt that during the middle of the second set I was getting my momentum,” she said. “When I broke her I started to be in the zone, and I didn’t want to leave the zone.”

Did Krejcikova, a 2021 Roland-Garros singles champion who has won seven major doubles and three major mixed titles (as well as an Olympic Gold medal in women’s doubles) think she would ever reach the Wimbledon final in singles?

“No, never,” she said. “A couple of years ago I was working with Jana Novotna [the legendary 1998 women’s singles champion, who passed away at the age of 49 in 2017), she won it here in 1998, and at that point she was telling me a lot of stories about her journeys here, and how she was trying to win Wimbledon – I was so far [from reaching a Wimbledon final] when we had this talk, now I’m here – wow, I’m in the finals.”



Novotna famously lost her first two Wimbledon finals, in 1993 and 1997, in heartbreaking fashion, but won the hearts of Wimbledon fans and was celebrated wildly when she broke through for her lone major singles title in ‘98. Her last coaching mission during her life was with Krejcikova, and the pair created a bond that has transcended.



Asked on court if Novotna is Krejcikova’s inspiration when she’s in the heat of battle, she said:

“Definitely. I remember thinking about Jana a lot, I have so many beautiful memories and when I step on the court here I’m just fighting for every single ball because that’s what I think she would want me to do.”

At that point Krejcikova was overcome by tears. She stepped away from the mic and received robust applause from the Centre Court faithful.

Her performance did seem to be guided by a higher power in the second and third sets as she took the play to one of the most lethal talents in the women’s game behind pinpoint serving, ramped-up groundstroke aggression and an unyielding sense of clarity. As Rybakina lost her focus – she committed 38 unforced errors on the day – Krejcikova seemed to gain her own.

After forcing a deciding third set, Krejcikova took hold of the contest by securing the first break for a 4-3 lead. She never blinked as she held serve twice to close out the victory.

Krejcikova made 74 percent of her first serves in the second set and 78 percent in the third set. This compared to an opening set that saw her win just 10 of 28 points on serve (behind 61 percent first-serves made) as Rybakina cracked 19 winners to just three for Krejcikova.

The Czech has struggled with injuries and form in 2024, missing several months due to complications from the flu, and started the grass-court season having only one one match since the Australian Open.

Improbably, the former World No.2 has gradually rediscovered the magic that guided her to the 2021 Roland-Garros title over three years ago. If we have counted her out in the intervening years, we surely won’t do it again.

Krejcikova improves to 3-0 lifetime against Rybakina, and becomes just the third player to defeat the 2022 Wimbledon champion at SW19.

In her fourth appearance at Wimbledon, Krejcikova improves to 12-3 lifetime at the Championships. Her previous best singles result at Wimbledon was a fourth-round run in 2021.