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Krejcikova’s resurgence: “I'm really happy to be part of the big game again”

  • Matt Trollope

In the past two weeks, Barbora Krejcikova has more closely resembled the world No.2 she was six months ago, rather than the player outside the top 30 she was in danger of becoming.

The 2021 Roland Garros champion on Sunday backed up her recent WTA 250 title in Tallinn, Estonia, with an even bigger victory at the WTA 500 event in Ostrava. 

Making the Ostrava result all the more significant was the fact Krejcikova beat Iga Swiatek – snapping the world No.1’s extraordinary 21-set, 10-match winning streak in finals dating back to 2020.

Krejcikova needed six match points to vanquish Swiatek before a sold-out stadium in Ostrava; an ace out wide ended an enthralling three-hour, 16-minute brawl between two players who have combined to win the past three French Opens.

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Many observers are hailing it as the women’s match of the year.

“You’ve been ruling the whole season. You’ve been beating everybody on the tour. So, I’m really sorry for today, but I’m really glad that I beat you,” Krejcikova smiled when acknowledging Swiatek in an emotional on-court trophy presentation.

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“It was amazing match. I think we both gave our all. I really want to thank you that you are here, that you are playing. You are such a star at a young age. You’ve been doing an incredible job this season, and also overall. 

“So thank you for bringing the best out of me today. Thank you for making such a huge performance. I’m really happy that we played, and that the fans enjoyed it.”

Swiatek, now 60-8 in 2022 after competing in her eighth final of the season, was equally complimentary of her Czech rival.

“You’re such an amazing player. We didn’t see you a lot this season and I’m pretty happy that you’re coming back, because you have such solid tennis, it’s pretty amazing,” Swiatek said. 

“We need players like you on the WTA (Tour) for sure.”

Before Swiatek caught fire in February and began assembling her phenomenal 37-match winning streak, Krejcikova was arguably the second-best player behind then-No.1 Ash Barty.

She opened the year by reaching the final in Sydney and the Australian Open quarterfinals, peaking at world No.2 on 28 February.

This was the culmination of a glorious 12-month run during which Krejickova won 49 matches and three titles from five finals, including her first Grand Slam singles trophy in Paris.

But an elbow injury struck, completely derailing a season that had begun so brightly. 

She missed three months of competition, returning at Roland Garros for her title defence completely underdone.

Despite winning the opening set against Diane Parry 6-1, she faded to a three-set loss, becoming just the third reigning Roland Garros champion in the women’s Open Era to exit in the first round.

That defeat saw her ranking fall from No.2 to No.14, and she kept dropping – all the way to 27th after losing nine of 16 matches from June to August.

But, as she told WTA Insider, things began to click as she practised in the Czech Republic ahead of her Tallinn campaign.

“I always felt like (the level is) there, it's just hiding,” she revealed. “I didn't just forget all that I did last year.”

Tallinn marked her first singles title in more than a year, and she carried that form into Ostrava, building a two-title, nine-match winning streak that included a 4-0 record against top-15 players.

More significantly, her final two wins in Ostrava came over reigning Grand Slam champions Elena Rybakina (Wimbledon) and Swiatek (Roland Garros and US Open).

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"I'm just very happy that things are clicking together and improving and I can play the biggest matches with the biggest players,” said Krejcikova, who has returned to world No.14.

"It's a huge victory (against Swiatek in the final). It's really one of the top matches that I think I ever played in my life.

“I'm really pleased that everything that I went through and everything that happened, it changed me and gave me extra energy. I think I'm a different player, a different person. 

“I'm really happy to be part of the big game again.”

Barbora Krejcikova celebrates with her WTA Ostrava trophy
Barbora Krejcikova celebrates with her WTA Ostrava trophy, her sixth title from seven finals dating back to the beginning of 2021. (Getty Images)

This complete form reversal has reminded us what a potent force Krejcikova – now a winner of six of her past seven finals – can be.

Ominously for her rivals, she is already considering what might come next. 

In terms of the biggest prizes on offer, Australian Open 2023 is looming just a few months away.

“When this season finishes I'm going to look forward to next season because I'm just really enjoying playing tennis and I love to play these big stages,” she told WTA Insider.

“I hope from now on I'm going to be a part of these big stages more often.”