Krejcikova claims San Diego Open championship, edges past Kenin in thrilling Final

Barbora Krejcikova claimed an intense final victory over Sofia Kenin, winning the WTA 500 San Diego Open with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

An exciting final unfolded in San Diego, featuring two former Grand Slam champions. For Sofia Kenin, it was her first final in over three years, dating back to her loss in the 2020 Roland Garros final.

The American had a tough battle in the semifinals against the tournament's surprise contender, Emma Navarro, ultimately winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. On the other hand, Krejcikova also faced difficulties on her way to the final but managed to overcome Danielle Collins 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.

The first set began with both players holding their serves until 2-2, with no break points in sight. However, everything changed with Kenin securing a break in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead.

This led to four consecutive games where each player lost their service. With the score at 4-4, Krejcikova managed to defend her serve and then secured a break on her second set point to take a 6-4 lead.

The second set saw Kenin take an early lead with a break. Despite facing several break points against her serve in the set, she managed to hold and secure another break in the seventh game to take the set 6-2. Kenin was strong in her return game, winning 46% of return points.

In the third set, both players improved their service game, keeping everything even until 4-4. Krejcikova faced four break points against her, but she managed to overcome them and take a 5-4 lead.

Although Kenin tried to stay in the set, the Czech player remained solid in her returns and secured the set and the title with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory.

Despite the loss, Kenin's first final appearance in a while is undoubtedly a significant achievement, especially after dealing with injuries and poor results in recent years. The 2020 Australian Open champion is set to rise forty places in the rankings and will be the world No. 53 starting next week.

This is Krejcikova's seventh title, her second in the WTA 500 category. Furthermore, by reaching the final, she secured her return to the top-10 after three months. Winning the title also puts some distance between her and Caroline Garcia, who has struggled in recent months and dropped to the 11th position.

Krejcikova will not be participating in the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open this week and will return to action at the WTA 500 Tokyo Open starting on September 25th.