Barbora Krejčíková was a surprise Roland Garros winner this year, beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 2-6 6-4 in the final to win her first Grand Slam title.

Krejčíková and Pavlyuchenkova were unexpected finalists at Roland Garros, benefiting from the withdrawal of seeds Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep.

Their success was also the result of their own abilities. Pavlyuchenkova beat Belarusians Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka in the opening stages of the tournament, while Krejčíková beat resistance fighters Coco Guff and Maria Sakkari on their way to the final.

It was Krejčíková who ultimately emerged victorious, although he was not classified for the tournament. GiveMeSport Women see what the victory will mean for the Czech star.

Move away from the reputation of a duplicate specialist

Before this year’s Roland Garros, Krejčíková was no stranger to the tennis world. She has built an impressive reputation in doubles, winning the women’s doubles competition at Roland Garros 2018 and Wimbledon.

The 25-year-old also has three mixed doubles titles to her name, all at the Australian Open in recent years. Krejčíková’s triumph at Roland Garros was in fact his sixth Grand Slam title in all disciplines.

As a result of this success, Krejčíková had become a specialist in doubles. His victory at Roland Garros, only the fifth Grand Slam singles main draw of his career, surely marks a departure from that reputation.

More Grand Slam appearances

Despite a stint as world number one doubles in 2018, Krejčíková failed in the singles standings. She spent six years in the 101-200 ranking range, unable to earn a place in the Grand Slam main draw and subsequently fail to establish herself as one of the top singles players.

Krejčíková’s victory at Roland Garros will now propel her to 15th place in the world, allowing her to compete regularly at the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. She is likely to participate in such tournaments later this year.

Former world number one tennis player Chris Evert told Eurosport that Krejčíková is now “a force to be reckoned with”.

“It wasn’t until last fall that she made her way into the world top 100, it’s just amazing,” she said. “She’s a woman who always wanted to be known as a singles player. She won several Grand Slam doubles titles and was known as a doubles specialist but not a singles specialist.

“But that has been her dream and her goal and she’s proving to a lot of people that she is a force to be reckoned with in both singles and doubles.”

Key opponents absent

Will Krejčíková win another Grand Slam trophy this year? While not expected to repeat her impressive feat anytime soon, the Roland Garros winner could continue to benefit from the absence of a number of world-class opponents.

Krejčíková is clearly on a roll, winning her first women’s singles title at the Strasbourg Open just before Roland Garros. She’s in a rich vein in form, and with Naomi Osaka off the pitch for a while, and Ashleigh Barty and Simon Halep injured, there’s room for Krejčíková to go far in another tournament.

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