Czech Barbora Krejcikova claimed her maiden Grand Slam title when she beat Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 2-6 6-4 in the French Open final on Sunday (NZ time).
The 25-year-old, who was unseeded, is the first Czech to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup since Hana Mandlikova, who represented Czechoslovakia, triumphed in 1981.
Krejcikova won six games in a row to take the opening set after dropping serve in the first, before Pavlyuchenkova gained the upper hand in the second set.
The Russian had her left thigh taped at 5-2 but served it out to level at one-set all before Krejcikova broke decisively for 4-3 in the decider to extend her winning streak on clay to 12 matches.
She entered Paris at a career-high 33rd spot and will further rise to 15th when the rankings are updated.
"It's hard to put words together right now. I can't believe what has just happened, that I've just won a Grand Slam," said Krejcikova, who became a first-time women's major winner in Paris for the sixth successive year.
Krejcikova could walk away with even more silverware from Paris this weekend as she will be back on court on Monday (NZ time) with fellow Czech Katerina Siniakova, with the duo attempting to win their second Roland Garros doubles title following their success in 2018.
Reuters
