Krejčíková turned the set and break against Ostapenková and is in the round of 16 of the Australian Open

Barbora Krejčíková she came to Australia last year as the 66th player in the world and probably no one expected that she would return in a year with three titles and in the role of grand slam champion, member of the top ten world rankings and participant in the last Champions Tournament.

The reigning French Open champion lost the opening week of the season due to illness, but she is doing great since the first match and the forced break is not known at all in her performances. In her debut in Sydney, she reached her sixth career final and only a few balls separated her from the next triumph.

He is also doing well at the Australian Open Grand Slam, where he belongs to a wider circle of favorites. The first complication had to be solved today. After sovereign wins over veteran Andrea Petkovicová and wild card Xiyu Wang, she clashed with Jelena Ostapenkova and pushed the winner of the clay grand slam from 2017 only after more than two hours of fighting.

While last year she swept the Latvian number one in Dubai in an hour and a quarter, in Melbourne it has long looked like the exact opposite result. Krejčíková made too many mistakes, did not help herself with service, did not use her chances and lost 2-6 1-3 in an hour. But then Ostapenková collected the service for the first time and immediately improved on the service and return and leveled the match.

But she didn’t win. Although Ostapenková already helped with mistakes, she was still an equal opponent. Krejčíková won the key break in the opening game and maintained the lead until the end, although she had, with one exception in all games to serve through a match, she faced a total of four breaks and used the third matchword.

“It was a tough, challenging match and I had to reach the bottom of my strength. I’m proud of myself and I’m excited to find a fighting spirit in me. It’s everyone’s dream to play on this great Rod Laver court and I wouldn’t leave without a fight.” said Krejcikova on the court.

Krejčíková thus improved her maximum again at the inaugural grand slam of the season, with today’s progress she completed the participation in the second week in all events of the big four and is already among the top six in the fourth grand slam in a row. The third quarter-final at the biggest tennis events (last year’s triumph at the French Open, the quarter-final at last year’s US Open) will be Victoria Azarenkova (H2H 0-1).

✅ Roland Garros champion
✅ Wimbledon Round 4
✅ US Open quarterfinals
✅ #AusOpen Round 4

@BKrejcikova has now reached the fourth round or better at the last four Grand Slams…

: @AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/Xy6OhwkRG2

— ITF (@ITFTennis) January 21, 2022

The 32-year-old Belarusian at the Australian Open, where she won both of her grand slam trophies (2012-13), took on a great form and is improving with each match. Today she swept 6-0 6-2 Elina Svitolinová and beat the Ukrainian number one i after five.

In the second week, where she advanced this year with a loss of only nine gamma, she is the ninth in her career and for the first time after her maternity break.

Krejčíková does not have to be the only Czech among the top 16. Tomorrow, Markéta Vondroušová will fight for the promotion to the round of 16, who will challenge the troubled world number two Aryna Sabalenková to the service.

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