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Oct 10 (Reuters) – Czech Barbora Krejcikova continued her late-season surge as she faced injury-hit world number one Iga Sviatek in a clash of French Open champions in Ostrava on Sunday.
The 2021 Roland Garros winner reached the final of the WTA 500 tournament in Sydney earlier in the year and then continued her strong form to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
The 26-year-old rose to two career positions in February before being sidelined for months with an elbow injury. She failed to make another semi-final until she won two titles in consecutive weeks at home in Tallinn, Estonia and Ostrava.
Krejcikova’s 5-7 7-6(4) 6-3 victory handed two-time French Open winner Swiatek her first loss in the final since 2019.
“It was difficult because I thought the beginning of the match was good,” Krejcikova said following her three-hour, 16-minute victory.
“Then the injury and the long layoff, it was difficult to come back for more than three or four months. It was mid-season and I was trying to get back in shape. I’m glad I found it. And now I’m back.”
Krejcikova isn’t sure what exactly clicked for her, but she described it as “a lot of work” in the past two weeks, with wins over Switzer, Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and world number three Annette Kontaveit.
“I always feel like it’s there, hiding me. I haven’t forgotten what I did last year. I still feel like it’s there,” she said.
I am so glad that everything that I have experienced and that has happened has changed me and given me more energy. I think I’m a different player, a different person. I am very happy to be a part of the great. game again.”
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Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by Muralikumar Anatharaman
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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