The Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova added to her lengthy list of Grand Slam accolades with a first-ever Wimbledon women's singles title on Saturday, triumphing over Jasmine Paolini in three sets in an absorbing final on Centre Court.
The former French Open champion - who already had two Wimbledon titles to her name from the 2018 and 2022 women's doubles events - staved off an inspired fightback from the Italian to prevail 6-2 2-6 6-4 after one hours and 56 minutes of gripping action.
At world number 32, Krejcikova is the second-lowest ranked woman to win the Wimbledon title in the Open Era - only behind last year's winner Marketa Vondrousova - as a crestfallen Paolini was left to lament her second Grand Slam final loss in as many tournaments after her Iga Swiatek-inflicted French Open heartbreak.
Here, Sports Mole analyses how Krejcikova served, sliced and powered her way to SW19 stardom, including the lowdown on an epic final game.
First set: Krejcikova off to fast start
🗣 "A simply sublime set of tennis" 🔥
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 13, 2024
🇨🇿 Barbora Krejcikova takes the opener on Centre Court 👊💥#Wimbledon #BBCTennis pic.twitter.com/xookuZoJiP
Saturday's first set was a tale of two halves on the serving side, as Paolini's first serves let her down more often than not in her opening game, where a stunning forehand winner from Krejcikova gave the former French Open winner an early break.
In contrast, the Czech's serves were devastating as she stormed to an immediate hold to love, and a 3-0 lead was within her grasp in Paolini's second service game, where the Italian once again proved powerless to stop Krejcikova's cross-court forehands.
However, the seventh seed was at least coming to the net effectively as she belatedly got on the board - much to the delight of the Centre Court crowd, who were firmly on her side from the off.
Paolini was still unable to give Krejcikova any trouble behind her own serve, though, and in the fifth game, the Czech's advantage extended to a double break and a 4-1 lead, thanks in no small part to her intriguing sliced forehand returns on the Paolini serve.
The 31st seed was also finding the baseline with tremendous accuracy, and even though Paolini held to stay in the set, she had only delayed the inevitable as Krejcikova forced an error from the Italian on her first set point.
Paolini immediately jogged off for a comfort break following a set in which Krejcikova won all five points at the net and landed 90% of her first serves, while also hitting 10 winners compared to just five for the Roland-Garros runner-up.
Second set: Resurgent Paolini forces decider
That is quite the response! 🔥
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 13, 2024
🇮🇹 Jasmine Paolini has won the second set - and look what it means to her! 💪#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/8kpRmBAXZW
Paolini's bathroom break had evidently done her the world of good, and the seventh seed rediscovered her fire at the start of the second set, where she let out a battle cry to her box as she held to 30, thereby avoiding a repeat of her first-set fate.
Instead, more errors were creeping into Krejcikova's game, as the Czechwoman netted a couple of backhands to hand Paolini the first break of the second set for a 2-0 lead, which she only just managed to back up; Krejcikova fashioned one break point after Paolini reached for a backhand with her back to the net and sent her shot wide, landing on her backside in the process.
The leaping Italian had her head in her hands but could force a characteristic smile before saving the break point, as another Krejcikova sliced backhand found the net, and the pendulum had well and truly swung if back-to-back double faults from the Czechwoman in the fourth game were anything to go by.
Paolini eventually brought up another two break points, but both were squandered as Krejcikova briefly regained some momentum, until the seventh seed convincingly held for 4-1 with a ferocious forehand winner.
The former French Open winner soon began to find a couple more of her blistering first serves, but after holding to move one game away from levelling the match, Paolini made it third time lucky with the challenges, overturning a Krejcikova drop shot that was originally called in.
That successful challenge brought up two set points for the Italian, who only required the one as Krejcikova sent a forehand just wide of the tramlines, before she repeated the seventh seed's trick by leaving the court for a rethink.
From landing 90% of her first serves in the opening set, Krejcikova only managed to find the mark 63% of the time in the second, while an increasingly vocal Paolini remarkably clinched 83% of points behind her second serve and committed half of her opponent's unforced errors.
Set 3: Double fault costs Paolini Championship despite saved match points
The moment Barbora Krejcikova became a singles champion at #Wimbledon ✨ pic.twitter.com/dKbcn4sHbN
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 13, 2024
As well as trading blows, Paolini and Krejcikova were trading aces in an aesthetically pleasing first set, where the two women posted one unreturned serve apiece en route to opening love holds; the perfect start for both.
The next few games followed a highly similar pattern, with neither player giving much away and storming through their service games, that was until the seventh where Paolini ceded two break points; she let out an almighty roar after saving one, but the most untimely of double faults handed Krejcikova a massive break.
The 31st seed backed up her break with a critical hold to love to move one game away from Wimbledon stardom, but Paolini was refusing to go down without a scrap and held to 30 to stay in the final thanks to a nice net approach in particular.
However, Krejcikova and Paolini saved the most gripping action for last, as the Italian brought up two opportunities to break the Czechwoman while she was serving for the Championship, but she failed to take either of them.
On the other side of the coin, Krejcikova let two Championship points slip through her grasp - her backhand let her down on both occasions, including yet another slice into the net - but Paolini soon followed suit to cede another match point.
In the end, the third time would be the charm for the world number 32, who fired a ferocious serve into the corner. Paolini - on the stretch - managed to connect with it, but Krejcikova already had her arms out in celebration before the Italian's backhand return landed outside.
Ben Knapton
