You could forgive casual fans for not having been aware of Barbora Krejcikova, who even among tennis nerds was known only for her doubles success.
That was until 2021, when the Czech cracked the top five – a rise helped enormously by her victory at Roland Garros – less than a year after being ranked outside the top 100.
READ MORE: Mental gains key to Krejcikova becoming champion
Her surge was even more astonishing when you consider she had been playing singles regularly since 2013, yet only entered the top 100 for the first time in 2020.
It was actually at the 2020 edition of Roland Garros where her fortunes began to change, and that’s where we begin as we chart the 26-year-old’s stunning ascent to a peak of world No.3.
3 October 2020: Reaches fourth round at Roland Garros
This result came out of the blue given Krejcikova had previously appeared in just two Grand Slam main draws – her best result being a second-round finish at AO 2020 – and on 15 other occasions had lost in the qualifying rounds. But having risen to world No.114, she gained direct entry into the main draw at Roland Garros in 2020 and made the most of this opportunity, upsetting 32nd seed Barbora Strycova en route to the last 16 – a result that saw her debut inside the top 100.
(Rankings rise after Roland Garros: +29 to world No.85)
14 November 2020: Linz semifinals
Krejcikova maintained her momentum from Roland Garros and closed her season strongly by winning 9 of her last 12 tour-level matches, improving her ranking by 20 places after a productive indoor European swing. She qualified for the WTA event in Ostrava and advanced to the second round, then won three matches to appear in the Linz semifinals, where she pushed eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka to three tight sets.
(Rankings move after Linz: +9 to world No.65)
13 March 2021: Dubai final, cracks top 40
Krejcikova’s ranking hovered around mid 60s for much of the next four months, until she enjoyed a breakout week in the Middle East. She upset No.16 seed Maria Sakkari in her opening match, then beat major champions Jelena Ostapenko and Svetlana Kuznetsova – those three wins all came in straight sets – before stopping Jil Teichmann to reach just her second career WTA final, and first at 1000-level. There she fell to Garbine Muguruza, but was rewarded with her top-40 debut.
(Rankings rise after Dubai: +25 to world No.38)
29 May 2021: Wins Strasbourg title
Two months later on clay, Krejcikova won her first career WTA singles title, beating Sorana Cirstea 6-3 6-3 in the final of the Strasbourg tournament. That victory, the week prior to Roland Garros, pushed the Czech to the cusp of the top 30 and set the stage for what was to come in Paris.
(Rankings rise after Strasbourg: +5 to world No.33)
12 June 2021: Unlikely triumph at Roland Garros
Despite being unseeded, Krejcikova had won 14 of her past 19 matches entering Roland Garros and began confidently carving her way through the draw. She eliminated No.32 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, fifth seed Elina Svitolina and 2018 French finalist Sloane Stephens – all in straight sets – to progress to her first major quarterfinal. She then overcame talented teenager Coco Gauff to arrive in the semifinals, where she saved a match point to beat Sakkari in a thriller at Court Philippe Chatrier. Facing the vastly more experienced Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final, Krejickova showed admirable steadiness to serve out a 6-1 2-6 6-4 triumph. In a dream fortnight, she also captured the doubles title with fellow Czech Katerina Siniakova.
(Rankings rise after Roland Garros: +18 to world No.15)
3 July 2021: Reaches fourth round at Wimbledon on debut
Krejcikova extended her winning streak to 15 matches with a third-round victory over Anastasija Sevastova at Wimbledon. It was an impressive transition to grass and a result made all the more surprising given she was a reigning major champion making her Wimbledon main-draw debut; three times previously Krejcikova had fallen in the qualifying event at Roehampton. Eventual champion Ash Barty stopped her run in an entertaining fourth-round battle on Court No.1.
(Rankings rise after Wimbledon: +4 to world No.13)
18 July 2021: Wins third title of season in Prague
By this point of the season Krejcikova was flying; immediately after Wimbledon she headed home to the Czech Republic and stormed through the draw in Prague without dropping a set. This victory – completed with a 6-2 6-0 thrashing of Tereza Martincova in the final – marked her third title from her past four tournaments, during which time she built a win-loss record of 20-1.
(Rankings rise after Prague: +2 to world No.11)
6 September 2021: Advances to US Open quarterfinals
After reaching the third round at the Tokyo Olympics and the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, Krejickova arrived in New York at a career-high ranking of No.9. Just like at Wimbledon, she was making her US Open main-draw debut, and she charged into the quarterfinals without dropping a set. Her dramatic fourth-round triumph over Muguruza under lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium was her 29th win from her past 32 matches.
(Rankings rise after US Open: +2 to world No.7)
13 October 2021: Fourth round at Indian Wells
Soon after her US Open run, Krejickova headed to the Californian desert for the rescheduled Indian Wells tournament as a top-five player. Her third-round defeat of Amanda Anisimova was her 45th and final win of 2021; in the next round she was stopped by eventual champion Paula Badosa. Krejcikova went on to qualify for the elite season-ending WTA Finals and briefly peaked at world No.3 at the beginning of November, but ultimately lost her last six singles matches of the season as both physical and mental fatigue set in. Combined with her doubles play, Krejcikova contested 114 matches in 2021.
(Rankings rise after Indian Wells: +1 to world No.4)