Barbora Krejcikova outlasts Jasmine Paolini to win Wimbledon title - ESPN

WIMBLEDON, England — After winning her second major singles title following a roller-coaster match Saturday, Barbora Krejcikova threw her hands up in the air in celebration and pointed at the sky.

Needing three match points and nearly two hours, she had just defeated Jasmine Paolini, the No. 7 seed and crowd favorite, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to claim her first Wimbledon title as former champions such as Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Maria Sharapova watched on from the royal box.

Krejcikova became the eighth woman to win the prestigious title in eight years.

«I don't have any words right now,» Krejcikova said to the Centre Court crowd moments later during the trophy presentation. «It's definitely the best day of my tennis career and also the best day of my life.»

The 28-year-old from Czechia (Czech Republic) had previously won the 2021 French Open title, as well as 11 major titles in doubles and mixed doubles, but she hadn't advanced past the quarterfinals in singles at a Grand Slam since her triumph in Paris over three years ago. After a tough season that included a back injury, an illness and an 0-4 record on clay, Krejcikova was hardly considered a favorite to win at the All England Club. She had never advanced previously past the fourth round, and her ranking — once as high as No. 2 — had fallen to No. 32. ESPN BET had given her 100-1 odds to win the tournament before play began.

But Krejcikova seemed to improve with every match she played throughout the tournament. She beat No. 11 seed Danielle Collins and No. 13 seed Jelena Ostapenko in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively, in straight sets. In the semifinals, she fought back after dropping the first set to defeat Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon