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Barbora Krejcikova, the 31st seed from the Czech Republic, will face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon final after a surprising 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against former champion Elena Rybakina. This win came just hours after Paolini’s dramatic win over Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the longest women’s semi-final at Wimbledon.
Krejcikova’s win took two hours and seven minutes on Centre Court. She will now face Paolini, the seventh seed, on Saturday in her second Grand Slam final, after winning the French Open in 2021. “I’m so proud of my game and my fighting spirit today,” Krejcikova said.
Krejcikova started 2024 well by reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals, but her first-round exit at the French Open was a setback. She had struggled with a back injury and illness, winning only three singles matches in five months. However, she found her form at Wimbledon, defeating 11th seed Danielle Collins in the fourth round and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals before facing Rybakina.
The two-time Wimbledon doubles champion is now just one win away from an unexpected singles triumph. “Unbelievable. It’s hard to explain, but there’s a lot of joy and emotion,” Krejcikova said. “When I broke her in the second set, I got into the zone and didn’t want to leave.”
Rybakina had been in great form, losing just one set and extending her impressive Wimbledon record to 19 wins from 21 matches. The 25-year-old, who won Wimbledon in 2022, started strong with two quick breaks for a 4-0 lead in the first set against Krejcikova.
In her first Wimbledon semi-final, Krejcikova turned things around in the second set, landing a crucial break in the sixth game. She leveled the match on her sixth set point, marking the first time in 20 years that both Wimbledon women’s semi-finals went to a final set.
Krejcikova had all the momentum and eventually wore down Rybakina, who made over 35 unforced errors by the time she lost her serve in the decisive seventh game of the final set.
Paolini, who had never won a main draw match at Wimbledon before this year, beat Vekic in two hours and 51 minutes to reach her second consecutive Grand Slam final. The 28-year-old, who lost the French Open final to Iga Swiatek last month, is the first Italian woman to reach the Wimbledon final.
Paolini, who also made it to the Australian Open last 16 in January, had not gone past the second round in any Slam before this year. With no wins at Wimbledon before this tournament, Paolini now has six victories and has lost just two sets.
“The last few months have been crazy for me. It’s a dream. I watched finals as a kid at Wimbledon,” Paolini said. “There’s no better place to fight for every ball and every point. I’ll remember this forever.”
Vekic, who made 57 unforced errors, ended the semi-final with a wild forehand. Unable to contain her frustration at losing 3-1 and 4-3 leads in the final set, Vekic broke down in tears. “I was crying because I was in so much pain. I didn’t know how I could keep playing,” Vekic said. “I thought I was going to die in the third set. I had so much pain in my arm and leg.”
