Krejcikova roars past Ostapenko in battle of French Open champs

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Moving closer: Krejcikova, who entered the semifinal, will look to go the distance. | Photo: Getty Images

Jelena Ostapenko hits a tennis ball as if there is no tomorrow. When she won the Roland-Garros singles title in 2017, she struck a whopping 54 winners but made as many errors on the slow and languid Parisian clay.

The thrill-a-minute high-risk strategy has since carried her to quarterfinals or better at each of the other three Slams. But on Wednesday, Barbora Krejcikovaโ€™s controlled aggression proved the perfect riposte as the Czech triumphed 6-4, 7-6(4) to enter her maiden Wimbledon singles semifinal.

Delightful day

It was a sweet result for Krejcikova, who, after reaching the 2024 Australian Open quarters, spent five months battling injuries and winning just three matches.

She will now play 2022 champion Elena Rybakina โ€” who blasted past Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-2 โ€” for a spot in the final.

โ€œI donโ€™t have any words,โ€ Krejcikova said later.

โ€œI had decided that I was going to leave everything I had on the court and I am happy I did it. Itโ€™s a great moment in my career.โ€

The 28-year-old was at her best in the opening set. It was the first day in many when play on the show courts didnโ€™t start with roofs closed. Soon Wimbledon park was bathed in sunlight and by the time the spectators basked a bit outdoors and settled into their seats, Krejcikova had raced to a 3-1 lead. She would soon pocket the set, winning 20 of her 23 service points and all 12 in her last three holds.

Not distracted

The Latvianโ€™s power and panache didnโ€™t bother her. Neither was she distracted by Ostapenkoโ€™s return stance, wherein the latter pranced like a football goalkeeper ahead of a spot-kick routine. With a high backswing, Krejcikova caressed the ball, into zones from where Ostapenko could do nothing.

But in the second set, Krejcikovaโ€™s game regressed to the mean and Ostapenkoโ€™s did not lift. What ensued was a scrap. The pair traded breaks and fought each other to a standstill to 4-4.

Krejcikova struggled with her timing and also seemed to lose her footing at the baseline quite a few times.

The 2021 French Open champion even fluffed the opportunity to serve out the match after breaking Ostapenko to 5-4.

However, she summoned her best game just in time, holding to love to take the set into a tie-break and running up a 6-3 lead once there. She eventually clinched the contest on her second match-point when Ostapenko sent a forehand return long.

In about four hours after Krejcikovaโ€™s moment under the sun, it was the turn of Lorenzo Musetti to experience the warmth as he ousted American Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to make his first Major semifinal.

The Italian, seeded 25th, continued his rich form on grass โ€” final at Queenโ€™s Club and semifinals in Stuttgart โ€” to set up a clash against second seed and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.

The Serbian progressed after the World No. 9 from Australia, Alex de Minaur, withdrew because of the hip injury he suffered in the closing stages of his fourth-round victory over Arthur Fils.



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