World No.33 Barbora Krejcikova is a Grand Slam singles champion after the Czech beat Russian 31st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Saturday's Roland Garros final.
The 25-year-old regained her early control of the match after Pavlyuchenkova rallied and held her nerve in a tightly-contested final set to win 6-1 2-6 6-4.
Pavlyuchenkova saved two championship points from 15-40 down in the ninth game to force Krejcikova to serve for the title, and in the biggest game of her life, Krejickova was up to the task.
She struck a forehand winner to earn a third match point and converting on her fourth when Pavlyuchenkova fired a shot long.
She has now won 12 consecutive matches after winning the WTA Strasbourg title in the week prior to Roland Garros.
And she could complete a dream fortnight in Paris on Sunday when she contests the women's doubles final with countrywoman Katerina Siniakova.
Krejcikova is projected to rise to world No.15 in the singles rankings, after beginning the season ranked 65th.
Congrats @BKrejcikova!!! The run that you have during this tournament and over last few weeks is pretty awesome. See you on court tomorrow! ?
— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) June 12, 2021
Her French Open success was given greater resonance by the ongoing influence of Krejickova's late coach Jana Novotna, the Czech tennis champion of the 1990s, who died in 2017.
"It's really hard to put words together right now because I just cannot believe what just happened. I cannot believe that I actually won a Grand Slam," she said.
"I was going through a really hard time when Jana was passing away. I was most of the time with her ... and pretty much her last words were: 'just enjoy and just try to win a Grand Slam'.
"All of this, that just happened this two weeks, is pretty much because she's just looking after me from up there and I just really thank her.
"It was amazing that I had the chance to meet her and that she was such an inspiration for me. And I just really miss her.
"But I hope she's happy right now, and I'm extremely happy."
Pavlyuchenkova began the match by winning a high-quality rally on the first point and breaking Krejcikova in the opening game, in the perfect start.
But Krejcikova responded impressively, controlling points with her versatile game and, unexpectedly, reeling off six straight games to take the first set.
Pavlyuchenkova did well to re-set, remaining patient in rallies and beginning to find success with her powerful groundstrokes.
Backhand winners down the line gave her leads of 2-0 and 4-1, and a few games later she had forced a third set.
But it was late in the decider that the Russian tweaked her leg, requiring an on-court medical timeout to get her thigh treated and wrapped ahead of the final set.
She did well to compete with Krejcikova, but the Czech, seemingly playing free of tension despite the stakes, broke Pavlyuchenkova in the third game and again in the seventh on her way to a 5-3 lead.
"I just knew that I had to serve the first serve in during the last game, and it just prepared the point. I think that was just something I was telling to my brain: just go for a first serve, go for a first serve," said Krejcikova, after becoming the third unseeded women's champion in Paris in the past five years.
"I just felt it was a really close match. I really want to congratulate Anastasia as well; she was playing a really good two weeks. She's already a great champion, she has won so many tournaments, she is such an experienced player.
"It was really hard to play against you today, and I'm sorry. But on the other hand, this is something I always dreamed of."
Congrats @BKrejcikova on making history! Enjoy every second of this special moment ? @rolandgarros
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) June 12, 2021
Gratulace Barbora! What a tournament ??????@rolandgarros ?
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) June 12, 2021
Indeed, Pavlyuchenkova had competed brilliantly throughout the fortnight at Roland Garros, beating Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka back-to-back before outlasting Elena Rybakina in a dramatic quarterfinal.
That victory, which came 9-7 in the final set, was her first in seven Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances.
"It's funny because since (I was) a little girl, I was thinking, if one day I would be standing here, I was a preparing the speech all the time, what I could have said, what I would say. Right now I have no words - I forgot everything that I was preparing," Pavlyuchenkova laughed.
"I want to say a big thank you to my parents, and my brother, who's here with me (as my coach). A couple of weeks ago my brother told me: 'you know what, I've got you, we're gonna get something big'. And I told him that I don't feel I'm ready, I think I need more time.
"And a couple of weeks later I'm in the final of Roland Garros. So thank you for believing, and pushing me."