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.