Barbora Krejcikova stuns Elena Rybakina to reach Wimbledon final with new champion assured to be crowned at SW19 on Saturday
Barbora Krejcikova pulled off a stunning comeback win at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships on Thursday, beating former champion Elena Rybakina. Krejcikova is now through to her second Grand Slam final, having previously won the French Open in 2021.
Rybakina began as the aggressor on Center Court, taking an early 3-0 lead. Krejcikova was slow to get off the blocks in the opening set and paid the price for it, surrendering the set 6-3.
In the second set, however, the Czech came alive. From 2-2, the 28-year-old broke serve to go 4-2 up. Although Rybakina threatened the earn the break back, Krejcikova held on to close the set 6-3 and force a decider.
With all to play for in the final set, Krejcikova and Rybakina remained on serve until 3-3, when the Czech produced a returning masterclass to break serve for a 4-3 lead. After consolidating the break with little trouble, Barbora Krejcikova soon sealed the set 6-4 to go through to the final after more than 125 minutes of play.
Krejcikova now leads Rybakina 3-0 in the head-to-head. In the final, the former World No. 2 will come up against Jasmine Paolini, who downed Donna Vekic earlier in the day to reach her maiden Grand Slam final.
As a result, Wimbledon is now assured of a brand new champion, who will be crowned on Saturday. Marketa Vondrousova was the defending champion, but went out in the first round in a shocking upset.
Barbora Krejcikova leads Jasmine Paolini in the head-to-head
Coming into their Wimbledon final clash, Barbora Krejcikova leads Jasmine Paolini 1-0 in the head-to-head. The duo met before at the Australian Open in 2018 in the qualification rounds, where Krejcikova won in straight sets.
A win on Saturday will give the Czech her second singles Grand Slam title, while Paolini is hunting for her first Major trophy. Paolini reached the French Open final last month, but ended up losing to Iga Swiatek in the summit clash.
Thanks to her run to the Wimbledon final, Paolini is assured of breaking into the top 5 next week, achieving her career-best ranking on the WTA Tour. On the other hand, Krejcikova is now No.14 in the live rankings, rising 18 spots due to her SW19 results.
A win in the final will take Krejcikova up to World No. 10, replacing Jelena Ostapenko in the top 10. Paolini, however, will remain No. 5 even if she goes all the way on Saturday.