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Barbora Krejcikova outlasted Jasmine Paolini Saturday to win the second Grand Slam singles title of her career.
It took Krejcikova three match points to overcome a fierce comeback by Paolini, but she ultimately defeated the Italian tennis star 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in the women's Wimbledon final in London.
Moments after she won the prestigious title for the first time, Krejcikova said she hoped her victory at the All England Club made the late Jana Novotná proud.
"The only thing that was going through my head," Krejcikova said of that moment, "was that I miss Jana a lot. It was just very, very emotional. ... I think she would be proud."
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Barbora Krejcikova of Czechia poses with the singles trophy after her victory against Jasmine Paolini of Italy during Wimbledon 2024 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club July 13, 2024, in London. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Krejcikova grew up admiring Novotná, the 1998 Wimbledon champion. Novotná and Krejcikova are both natives of the Czech Republic. Novotná once encouraged Krejcikova to stick with tennis and predicted she would one day win a Grand Slam.
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Even after holding on to win on her third match point, Krejcikova insisted that nobody — not her friends, not her family, not even herself — would believe what she's accomplished. It was relatively unlikely, after all, given that she dealt with a back injury and illness this season and her record in 2024 was just 7-9 when she arrived at the grass court major.
Barbora Krejcikova of Czechia celebrates winning match point against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in a singles semifinal match at Wimbledon 2024 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club July 11, 2024, in London. (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Krejcikova is the eighth woman to leave Wimbledon as the champion in the past eight editions of the event. Last year’s champion, unseeded Marketa Vondrousova, is also from the Czech Republic. She lost in the first round last week.
Paolini, the runner-up to Iga Świątek at the French Open last month, is the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to get to the finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same season and the first since Venus Williams in 2002 to lose both.
"If I keep this level," Paolini said, "I think I can have the chance to do great things."
Barbora Krejcikova, left, of the Czech Republic holds her trophy after defeating Jasmine Paolini, right, of Italy in the women's singles final at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
This match was as back-and-forth as could be.
Fittingly, the last game took 14 points to decide, with Krejcikova needing to fend off a pair of break chances. She eventually converted her third match point when Paolini missed a backhand.
"I was just telling myself to be brave," said Krejcikova, who also owns seven Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles, including two at Wimbledon, and three in mixed doubles.
During the trophy ceremony, Krejcikova spoke about Novotná's influence on her tennis life — and her life, in general — as she did following her singles triumph in Paris in 2021.
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A reporter asked Krejcikova what she’d like to say to Novotná now that they both are Wimbledon champions.
"Well, I think I would turn it around," Krejcikova said with a smile. "I would like to hear what she would tell me."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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