WATCH: Barbora Krejcikova edges out former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to reach maiden final

Barbora Krejcikova advanced to the Wimbledon final for the first time in her career after overcoming former champion Elena Rybakina in the second semi-final. Krejcikova, ranked 32, lost the first set but made an impressive comeback at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Thursday (July 12).

Rybakina got off to a fine start as she quickly raced to a 4-0 lead. The 2022 winner snatched the first set 3-6 and looked set to continue her domination. But to everyone's surprise, the Czech fought back in the next two sets (6-3, 6-4) to give a glimpse of the first semi-final between Jasmine Paolini and Donna Vekic. 

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Paolini had lost the first set and twice trailed by a break in the final set. But pushed the game into the decider and held her nerve in the tiebreaker to clinch a remarkable victory. The Italian is now set to face Krejcikova on Center Court on Saturday (July 13) for a riveting summit shutdown. 

Watch Barbora's winning moment in 2nd semi-final:

BARBORA KREJCIKOVA IS A WIMBLEDON FINALIST 🇨🇿



The Czech comes from a set down to beat 2022 champion Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Yo57VVuC4T

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2024

“It’s unbelievable. It’s tough to explain what I’m feeling. A lot of joy and emotions. A lot of relief. I’m just super proud. I’m so proud about my game and my fighting spirit today,” Krejcikova said in an on-court interview after the match.

Krejcikova is now the fifth Czech woman to reach the Wimbledon singles final in the Open era, following Jana Novotna, Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova and Marketa Vondrousova. 

From first-round French Open defeat to maiden Wimbledon final

Notably, the 28-year-old managed to shake off the disappointment of a first-round exit at the French Open earlier this year. She defeated the fourth seed and now aims to tackle the seventh seed in the ultimate clash. 

Meanwhile, Krejcikova also spoke about her mentor and former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna, who passed away in 2017. Asked if she ever dreamed of playing in the women's singles final at Wimbledon, she said: 

“No. No never. A couple years ago I was working with Jana Novotna. She won here in 1998. At that point she told me a lot of stories about her journey here and how she was trying to win Wimbledon. I was so far when we had this talk. Now I’m here. Wow… I’m in the finals," she said during the interview.

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