Another big tournament, another champion opponent, and more match points saved.
Hailey Baptiste is developing quite the reputation as a giant killer as she kicked off her Roland Garros campaign on Sunday with a gritty victory against Barbora Krejcikova.
Krejcikova is a two-time major champion whose first Slam title came at Roland Garros five years ago. She led the American by a set and break, and earned two match points at 6-4 in the second-set tiebreak. She had chances to seal the match, but erred on a pair of forehands, and could only watch as Baptiste fired a backhand winner down the line to earn her own set point.
The American converted, before cruising to a 6-7(7) 7-6(6) 6-2 win.
Baptiste is seeded for the first time at a major tournament, thanks in part to a huge injection of ranking points she earned by reaching the semifinals of the Madrid Open.
She achieved that result after saving an astounding six match points to stop world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, a three-time champion in Madrid.
Rippling with confidence, Baptiste is aware of the reputation she’s creating and the damage she can cause against the very best.
“I think that everybody kind of has the same thoughts – I mean, similar thoughts – closing out a match. There's nerves, for sure,” she said after setting up a second-round match against Chinese qualifier Wang Xiyu.
“There's certain ways to approach it. Some people maybe don't go for their shots. Another [says] OK, I just need to make balls.
“Me, I try to go after my shots and try to create something to get to the net or hit a winner somehow.
“I always have in the back of my head that there are going to be a little bit of nerves on their side, so definitely want to just make them play no matter what in those moments if I'm down match points.”
Baptiste, a 24-year-old who has worked with Frances Tiafoe’s brother Franklin, has long been known for her natural talent and shotmaking variety, has put it all together in 2026.
She was ranked 70th during the Australian Open, where she made the third round, but has since cracked the top 25.
A semifinal run in Abu Dhabi and a quarterfinal finish at the WTA 1000 event in Miami helped propel her up the rankings, before she went one round better in Madrid, beating Jasmine Paolini, Belinda Bencic and Sabalenka along the way.
“I feel like I've learned a lot about myself over the last few years and my game,” Baptiste said.
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“[Shot selection is] definitely something that I've struggled with throughout my career. I think that in the end I just tried to make a solid decision. Sometimes I can't help myself but do something that's so stupid it's unbelievable.
“I think focus falls into play with that, just being really dialled and knowing what the right decision is. Sometimes, like, the crazy decision isn't the worst decision. I think that's a part of my game and what makes me difficult to play, just kind of doing some things that aren't expected.
“But definitely have to be focused and [I] can't do that all the time.”
Clay seems to be the perfect surface for Baptiste to experiment with that creativity. It affords her a fraction more time on the ball, while rewarding her spin and ability to exploit all areas of the court.
Last year, she reached the fourth round in Paris – it remains her best Grand Slam result – and revealed to Kim Clijsters and Blair Henley on the Love All podcast that red clay is her favourite surface, an atypical admission from an American player.
“It is kind of shocking,” Baptiste agreed. “I don’t know, I’ve always loved the red clay. I love sliding around. It’s just fun to me.”
Having slid past former world No.2 Krejcikova into the second round, a possible third-round meeting with current world No.2 and AO 2026 champion Elena Rybakina looms.