Wimbledon: Barbara Krejcikova reaches first Wimbledon semi after downing Jelena Ostapenko – ‘An unbelievable moment’ – Eurosport

Barbara Krejcikova beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-4 7-6(4) on Thursday to reach her maiden Wimbledon Championships semi-final.

The 28-year-old commanded the first set before battling from 4-1 down in the second for a hard-earned victory in one hour and 42 minutes.

She will play 2022 champion Elena Rybakina on Thursday for a spot in the final.

“I don’t have any words right now,” Krejcikova said after the match. “I told myself that I’m going to give everything that I have and I’m really happy that I did. 

“It’s a great moment for me, an unbelievable moment in my tennis career.”

Krejcikova missed months of action through illness and injury earlier this year but has completed a remarkable turnaround to reach the last four at Wimbledon.

“It was a very, very difficult period, super difficult period even before this tournament,” she explained.

“There have been many doubts from inside but also from the outside world. I’m super happy that I never gave up and I’m standing here right now.”

Ostapenko started strongly and looked on course to seal an early break when she held in the opening game and rallied to 30-0 ahead in the second.

However, the Czech Republic’s Krejcikova fought back to save serve and then broke the No. 13 seed in the third game to move 2-1 ahead in the opening set.

Krejcikova built a two-game buffer but Ostapenko quickly stopped the rot to win her first game in four to close the gap to 3-2.

The former No. 2 was in a commanding position as she retained her two-game buffer and served out the first set to take the lead.

Ostapenko hit back early in the second set to gain her first break of the match to lead 3-1, and during a tense fifth game, had to fight off three break points for a crucial hold and a three-game advantage.

With Ostapenko blowing hot and cold but winning the big points in the early stages, Krejcikova held comfortably in the next game to stay within touching distance in the second set and then broke back with the third of three break points to close the deficit to one game. 

An exciting eighth game followed when Krejcikova fought from 40-15 down to defend her serve and level the set, which had become scrappy as the world No. 32 rallied towards the semi-final.

Krejcikova won a fourth straight game to gain a double break and complete the comeback for a 5-4 lead, confirmed by a tight Hawkeye decision – which left Ostapenko without any challenges – as Krejcikova moved to within a game of victory.

But as she served out for the match, Ostapenko was thrown a lifeline as Krejcikova conceded a double fault on break point. Both players held serve in the two games that followed, which means the set required a tie-break which Krejcikova won 7-4 to seal victory.