Championship Saturday at Wimbledon is here, and for the eighth consecutive tournament, dating back to 2016 — the 2020 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic — there will be a different ladies’ singles champion.
No. 31 seed Barbora Krejčíková from Czechia is after her second Grand Slam title, having won the French Open back in 2021. She’ll face off against No. 7 Jasmine Paolini, who’s in search of a first Grand Slam title after being the runner-up at the French Open earlier this year. In addition to being the first Italian woman to make the singles final at the All-England Club, Paolini is also the first woman to make the finals at the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year since Serena Williams accomplished the feat in 2016 (she lost in Paris, but won in London).
Krejčíková bested 2022 champion No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina in her semifinal matchup and Paolini beat unseeded Donna Vekic to make it to Saturday’s final. Both matches were thrilling three-setters, and the Paolini-Vekic match was the longest ladies’ semifinal match in Wimbledon history at 2 hours, 51 minutes.
31. Barbora Krejcikova vs. 7. Jasmine Paolini
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Krejčíková is gaining confidence again, and takes the game comfortably.
Krejčíková 6 2 2
Paolini 2 6 2
There are a lot of celebrities here — as is typical for Wimbledon finals — including actors Tom Cruise and Hugh Jackson, multi-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova, and actor Zendaya, who has become quite the tennis buff since playing Tashi Duncan in “Challengers.”
Paolini takes the next. Things have evened out in this final set, and are likely to stay close, but for now Paolini has the lead.
Krejčíková 6 2 1
Paolini 2 6 2
But Krejčíková takes one right back, with an ace and a few unforced errors from Paolini. There’s been some good tennis today, but also quite a lot of errors.
Krejčíková 6 2 1
Paolini 2 6 1
Paolini get Krejčíková off her feet with a few well-placed slices and an ace to easily grab the first game of the set. Things are off to a good start for the Italian.
Krejčíková 6 2 0
Paolini 2 6 1
Alright, here we go — the final set. The winner of this set will take their first Wimbledone championship.
Krejčíková slowed down this set, with her energy low after dominating the first. Even with Paolini making errors, she was able to push Krejčíková into making mistakes of her own and takes the second set with some ease. Paolini has found a rhythm and some extra confidence, and has the benefit of having the crowd on her side.
Paolini completely turns things around to take the second set, forcing Krejčíková to hit out of bounds in the set point and taking the set for herself. We’re moving on to a deciding set.
Krejčíková 6 2
Paolini 2 6
Even with Krejčíková getting her moving across the court, Paolini has been pulling out some incredibly impressive points, and uses it to take her fifth game. She’s now within a game of taking the second set.
Krejčíková 6 2
Paolini 2 5
Krejčíková gets one back, making Paolini’s lead less secure.
Krejčíková 6 2
Paolini 2 4
Paolini takes the next with a few well-placed shots. She’s playing smarter, and is having more success when she keeps her shots close to the net and the line.
Krejčíková 6 1
Paolini 2 4
Paolini starts another game strong, but lets Krejčíková catch up yet again. The 28-year-old Italian has had trouble keeping from making mistakes — especially hitting into the net. Krejčíková makes her pay for it, and takes her first game of the second set.
Krejčíková 6 1
Paolini 2 3
Paolini starts the next game strong, but lets Krejčíková catch up with a few errors before fighting back to take the game. There isn’t much room for mistakes in this matchup — both players are happy to take advantage of their opponent’s mis-hits.
Krejčíková 6 0
Paolini 2 3
And another for Paolini, who is turning the tide against Krejčíková after that tough first set. The crowd is really feeling it now.
Krejčíková 6 0
Paolini 2 2
Paolini comes out of the break with some renewed vigor, and takes the first game of the set. The heavily pro-Paolini crowd is pleased with that win.
Krejčíková 6 0
Paolini 2 1
Set point for Krejčíková, and she forces Paolini to run and eventually put the ball into the net. A strong showing from the Czech player to take the first set and set up a strong lead.
Krejčíková 6
Paolini 2
Paolini gets the first ace of the match, and pulls a few rare errors out of Krejčíková to win her second game. Krejčíková can take the set with another win, but Paolini draws the set out for at least one more game.
Krejčíková 5
Paolini 2
And Krejčíková takes yet another game, off a ball that barely grazed the baseline. She’s been placing the ball well so far, taking advantage of first serves and beating Paolini on points.
Krejčíková 5
Paolini 1
Krejčíková takes another game, forcing Paolini to hit into the net and expanding her lead.
Krejčíková 4
Paolini 1
Krejčíková starts the game strong, but lets Paolini creep up to force an advantage. Krejčíková takes the game in part off of an impressive rally, with Paolini running all over the court to keep the ball alive before Krejčíková delivers a death blow to the far left corner.
