Surging Krejcikova Joins Czech Quintet in Prague Quarterfinals

Krejcikova stretched her winning streak to seven, after claiming her first title since Wimbledon 2024 in Athens, where she defeated Maria Sakkari in the final. It was her ninth career title and she is three matches from her tenth after taking out Czech wild card Lucie Havlickova, 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 46 minutes on a chilly afternoon in Prague. 

“I’m happy I’m through, but it was a difficult, difficult match,” she said. “Playing against Czechs on home soil –  I think we had a very nice atmosphere, and I think we played a great match.” 

Krejcikova saved the only break point she faced and won 77 percent of first serve points and 67 percent of second serve points against the 21-year-old world No.226. The two-time major champion didn’t let the cool, breezy conditions bother her. 

“Also it was quite cold, so it’s not really ideal for me. Because last week [in Athens] it was 30, 35, and today, it’s like 20. I think that I dealt with the wind and with the conditions quite well,” she said. 

Krejcikova has won 12 of her last 14 matches and will face Czech qualifier Denis Salkova in the quarterfinals on Friday. 

“She was really serving quite well, and it was really tough to break her, especially in the first set, so also big credit to her,” she said of Havlickova. “She is [part of] the future of Czech tennis, so I wish her all the best.” 

Four other Czechs will contest the quarterfinals on Friday, which includes two all-Czech matches. Top-seeded Maria Bouzkova will face Tereza Valentova, while third-seeded Sara Bejlek, who took out Maria Timofeeva, 6-1 6-1, on Thursday, will take on 18-year-old Lilli Tagger of Austria.