French Open 2021: Barbora Krejcikova Beats Anastasia at Stade Roland Garros in Paris

Barbora Krejcikova won her first Grand Slam singles championship Saturday with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the 2021 French Open women's final at Stade Roland Garros in Paris.

Krejcikova won in one of the most unusual major draws in recent times, with only one top-10 seed in the quarterfinals and two finalists who had never advanced further than the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam singles competition.

To clinch the first set, Krejcikova came out on fire, hitting 13 wins and breaking three serves. Pavlyuchenkova fought back with an equally dominant second set, recording ten wins and three breaks, despite needing a medical timeout late in the game for treatment on her left leg.

The final set was tougher, but Krejcikova came up with a crucial break while serving at 3-3 against her 29-year-old Russian opponent. Despite a few high-pressure games to close out the match, she never relinquished the advantage.

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Krejcikova came into the final with greater experience on the biggest stages of tennis. In 2018, she won back-to-back doubles titles at the French Open and Wimbledon, and she also advanced to the final of the Australian Open doubles tournament.

The result was one of the most surprising championship matches in Grand Slam history, yet neither player's route to the final was fortunate. They both defeated a number of high-caliber opponents to earn their spots on the main stage.