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From Roland Garros champ to Top 10, the rise of Barbora Krejcikova

Barbora Krejcikova by no means stopped dreaming of what she might accomplish as a singles participant. However all through her astonishing 2021 marketing campaign, which included a Roland Garros championship, her first main title and consistency that earned her a spot within the Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara, the 25-year-old Czech was pinching herself to verify it was all actual. 

“For me, being right here, having this opportunity, it is unbelievable,” Krejcikova mentioned this summer season as she readied for her US Open main-draw debut. “It is really unbelievable. I by no means anticipated that I might be this excessive and play on this stage.”

Krejcikova started the season at a career-high No.65 in singles, a feat that already felt like a miracle. Earlier than the 2021 season, the Brno-native was recognized virtually singularly as a doubles participant. Krejcikova and her companion, Katerina Siniakova, had already been ranked No.1 in 2018 in a season wherein they gained Roland Garros and Wimbledon. 

ACEing Most cancers: Barbora Krejcikova on Jana Novotna’s legacy

However Krejcikova’s singles profession had but to take flight till final fall, when she superior to the Spherical of 16 at Roland Garros to crack the High 100 for the primary time in her profession. She quietly rode that confidence by way of the top of the season, making the Spherical of 16 in Ostrava and her first WTA semifinal in Linz to complete out the common season. Even together with her finish of season surge, Krejcikova got here into the 2021 season with a 20-20 profession file in singles. 

First WTA 1000 remaining in Dubai

It took simply 4 tournaments for Krejcikova to place her stamp on the 2021 season and foreshadow what was to come back. After her Australian Open hopes had been derailed by two weeks of onerous quarantine, Krejcikova rebounded from a failed qualifying marketing campaign in Doha to blitz her approach to a primary WTA 1000 remaining and second WTA remaining total on the Dubai Obligation Free Tennis Championships. 

En path to the ultimate, Krejcikova didn’t lose a set whereas notching wins over Maria Sakkari, Jelena Ostapenko, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anastasia Potapova and Jil Teichmann. Krecjikova would come up quick within the remaining in opposition to Garbiñe Muguruza, 7-6(6), 6-3, however the run boosted her rating to a brand new career-high at No.38.


Picture by Internationaux de Strasbourg/Chryslène Caillaud

From heartbreaking loss to first WTA title in Strasbourg

As Krejcikova labored to regulate to her newfound standing as a High 40 singles participant, it will take one other 4 occasions till she posted back-to-back wins. Looking back, her second-round loss to Iga Swiatek in Miami and opening-round loss to Indian Wells champion Paula Badosa in Madrid had been no trigger for concern. Krejcikova put her Madrid loss to the facet rapidly, occurring to win the doubles title with Siniakova.

Highway to WTA Finals, singles

Highway to WTA Finals, doubles

“It nonetheless feels fairly unreal,” she mentioned after Madrid. “That is the very first thing. It isn’t written wherever that you will be like this on a regular basis, that you will be High 40 in singles and you are going to be successful the titles in doubles and stuff like this. 

“Even when I will go greater, I will be saying the identical factor, that it is unreal that it is really occurring. A woman from a bit metropolis in Czech Republic the place we’ve got six courts. The largest participant that really got here up was taking part in Czech Championships under-18s and misplaced first or second spherical.”

Making her singles main-draw debut in Rome, Krejcikova earned the primary High 10 win of her profession, over Sofia Kenin, to earn a rematch with Swiatek within the Spherical of 16. Trying to avenge her Miami loss, Krejcikova led the reigning Roland Garros champion by a set and a break and held two match factors, however failed to shut out the win, dropping 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5. 

Swiatek would go on to win her first WTA 1000 in Rome. Krejcikova would go on to win her subsequent 15 matches. 

Buoyed by the boldness from going toe-to-toe with Swiatek on clay, Krejcikova battled her approach to her first WTA title in Strasbourg, a WTA 250 occasion. With wins over Oceane Dodin, Caroline Garcia, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Jule Niemeier and Sorana Cirstea, Krejcikova adopted in her former coach and mentor Jana Novotna’s footsteps to turn out to be the third Czech girl to win Strasbourg.

Krejcikova sweeps Roland Garros for first main singles title

When Krejcikova performed Roland Garros within the fall of 2020, she was ranked nicely exterior the High 100. Eight months later, Krejcikova was crossing off profession milestones, seemingly on a weekly foundation. Now ranked No.33 and seeded at a Slam for the primary time, she quietly took care of enterprise in each the singles and doubles attracts.

After her fast turnaround from successful Strasbourg, Krejcikova misplaced her first set at Roland Garros to Kristyna Pliskova within the opening spherical. Krejcikova wouldn’t lose a set once more till the semifinals. She reeled off 11 consecutive units to defeat Pliskova and Alexandrova, rating her second High 10 win in opposition to Elina Svitolina. She defeated Sloane Stephens and Coco Gauff to make her first main semifinal. 

Going through Maria Sakkari for a spot within the remaining, Krejcikova confronted a match level earlier than edging Sakkari in a three-hour marathon, successful 7-5, 4-6, 9-7. 

As Krejcikova superior to her first main singles remaining with the lack of simply two units, she and Siniakova booked a spot of their second main remaining of the season with the lack of only one set. Krejcikova went into championship weekend driving an 11-match successful streak in singles and bidding to turn out to be the primary girl since 1991 to brush the singles and doubles titles at Roland Garros (Mary Pierce). 

Krejcikova sealed her place within the historical past books by defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 to raise the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen after which rotated 24 hours later to win the doubles with Siniakova, defeating Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Iga Swiatek in straight units. 

Champions Nook: Krejcikova sends message to locker room – ‘If I can do it, they’ll do it’

“My journey, I believe it is inspiring as a result of 9 months in the past I used to be really out of High 100,” Krejcikova informed WTA Insider. “I had the label that I am a doubles participant. Now, 9 months later, I am really a singles Grand Slam champion and the world simply modified. Every little thing simply modified. 

“I simply really feel like there are such a lot of women really within the locker room, they’ve the skills. If I can really do it, they’ve the flexibility to do it as nicely. I’ve some favourite women that I already texted and so they texted me after which go to congratulate me and I simply wrote them, I’ve little doubt that in the future you are going to be standing in my place as a result of I consider you’ve the flexibility to really do it.” 

High 10 debut beckons after scorching summer season run, Prague title

A post-Roland Garros hunch would have been comprehensible, however Krejcikova merely refused to lose. From Wimbledon by way of the US Open, Krejcikova didn’t lose to anybody on tour aside from No.1 Ashleigh Barty or No.2 Aryna Sabalenka. Enjoying her first match as a significant champion, Krejcikova superior to the Spherical of 16 at Wimbledon in her main-draw debut, dropping to eventual champion Barty. She then returned house to win her third title of the season, successful the WTA 250 occasion in Prague with out dropping a set. 

Krejcikova’s Prague title would ultimately enhance her into the High 10 for the primary time, making her debut at No.10 on Aug. 9.

US Open Pocket book: Krejcikova in disbelief over 2021 season

On the North American hardcourts, Krejcikova’s consistency continued. In her first match after the Olympic break, she superior to the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, the place she was undone by Barty in straight units. Then making her US Open main-draw debut, Krejcikova superior to her second main quarterfinal of the season earlier than bowing out to Sabalenka.

Because of her stellar season, which noticed her win 29 of her final 33 WTA matches of the common season, Krejcikova grew to become the third participant to qualify for the WTA Finals, behind No.1 Barty and No.2 Sabalenka. She completed her breakout season with a 45-17 file in singles (Krejcikova had simply 20 WTA main-draw singles wins in her profession earlier than this season) and tied for third on tour with three titles. 

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