This has been a helter-skelter fortnight in the ladies’ section at Wimbledon. Who would have predicted, in a field where there has been no dearth of marquee names, that Czechia’s Barbora Krejcikova and Jasmine Paolini from Italy would be fighting for the title on Saturday?
To say that the semi-finals on Thursday provided riveting stuff would be stating the obvious. What was, indeed, remarkable about Krejcikova and Paolini winning their respective semi-finals was that they showcased a steely resolve and willingness to raise the level of play on the big stage.
For those tennis fans who think the seedings committee at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club puts great thought into deciding the pecking order, the way famous names have bombed at the box office has left them red-faced. For sheer audacity, bordering on arrogance, Krejcikova stunning fourth seed Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes was a highlight, producing tennis which was powerful and loaded with energy.
The Centre Court watched with huge interest as both these players needed to stay cool. That was easier said than done, what with Krejcikova out to emulate her mentor, the late Jana Novotna, and in no mood to relent. Her serve, a vital weapon on grass, was defining. However, if there is even slight hesitancy, the serve can create trouble. For Krejcikova to win 49 points on her first serve was proof she had a reliable weapon today. At the other end, as the match wore on and went into a third set, Rybakina started losing her composure. To commit 37 unforced errors was unacceptable, even though she was playing firebrand tennis.
Pre-match predictions, based on form through the year had definitely projected Rybakina, holding a Kazakh passport, as the winner. When she won the title at Wimbledon in 2022 and lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish, symbol of supremacy in the ladies’ section, the British media roasted Rybakina as she was born in Russia. She had made it clear she had nothing whatsoever to do with Russia’s war in Ukraine, but was still hated.
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On Thursday, the tussle was not between two nations but about how Krejcikova seized her chances far better. There was steel and will to compete against Rybakina, who was belting the tennis ball to all the corners within the perimeters of the court. How did Krejcikova turn it around? She was not willing to give up and came up with her own bag of tricks to counter Rybakina.
The Centre Court was in raptures, for they were clearly backing Krejcikova, who had never made it past the fourth round earlier. “I am so proud about my game and my fighting spirit today,” Krejcikova said later, her voice conveying joy. “I was trying to fight for every single ball, during the second set I was getting my momentum and when I broke her, I started to be in the zone and I didn’t want to leave the zone.”
In the other semi-final, Paolini was definitely a strong choice to prove herself, having made it to the final at the French Open. Clay and grass are very different surfaces, yet Paolini competed in one of the greatest semi-finals at Wimbledon against Donna Vekic. Vekic was no pushover, her serve was top class – powerful and potent – and she mixed in the drop shots.
The key in long battles is how players absorb pressure. Indeed, the Centre Court was backing Paolini, and she used that energy to wreck Vekic in the second set when she converted a break point smartly. It reduced Vekic to tears and she could only rely on her own racquet for support. Without doubt, the way the third set tie-break was fought, it was all about nerves and sticking to a gut feel. In the end, Paolini won 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8), leaving Vekic out on her feet.
She is the first Italian woman to reach a Wimbledon final, and such history is loved by one and all. For those who feel back-to-back Grand Slam finals are easy, from Paris to London, no way. It requires a change in game and strategy and, above all, coming up with timely shots in crunch situations. “She (Vekic) played unbelievable,” said Paolini later. “She was hitting winners everywhere. I was struggling a little bit at the beginning but I was just repeating to myself to fight every ball and to improve a little bit.”
At two hours and 51 minutes, this was the longest ladies’ semi-final in Wimbledon. Paolini is just the fifth woman in the Open Era to make the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same year, and the first since Serena Williams back in 2016.
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