WHAT HAPPENED: Bianca Andreescu rewrote the manual on how to make a stunning US Open debut when she won the title on her first main draw appearance in 2019. Barbora Krejcikova is working on adding her own special chapter as she continued her eye-catching run on Sunday night with a commanding, if complicated, 6-3, 7-6 victory over two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza to reach the quarterfinals.
It’s easy to run out of superlatives when talking about the Czech’s Cinderella 2021 season. In her fifth career Grand Slam main draw, unseeded Krejcikova won Roland Garros this June, and for good measure she took the doubles title in Paris as well. Since then she has racked up wins in 29 of 32 matches, losing only to eventual champion Ashleigh Barty at Wimbledon, eventual gold medalist Belinda Bencic at the Olympics and Barty again last week at Cincinnati.
The torrid stretch landed her in the Top 10 for the first time on August 9. She continued her stellar form, making the most of her first career appearance in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.
After a trade of breaks Krejcikova grabbed control of the opening set with a break at love for 5-3.
The second set was all Krejcikova early, but Muguruza, desperate and trailing 4-0, suddenly found a rich vein of form and reeled off four games to level.
“I think I started the match really well and was playing good tennis,” Krejcikova said. “The key was to start the match well. There were a lot breaks which was difficult but I was happy that I won the first set, 6-3. Out of nowhere I got the lead 4-0 and then things started to get complicated."
Three games later, and still on serve at 5-6, Krejcikova appeared to be suffering from an issue that affected her breathing, and she went off court for treatment. The issue created an air of intrigue in the contest, with Muguruza waiting patiently for Krejcikova’s return, seemingly on hold after building up momentum in the match.
Krejcikova put an end to that momentum quickly upon her return. She reeled off the first seven points after play resumed, and while Muguruza rallied back from 3-0 to 5-4 in the second set tiebreak, she couldn’t move any closer.
Krejcikova completed the victory when Muguruza slashed a second-serve return long to end the contest in one hour and 54 minutes. The Czech sat in her chair after the victory, clearly still struggling physically, as Muguruza headed off the court.
Eventually a trainer and doctor came to usher Krejcikova to the locker room. Not well enough to participate in a post-match on-court interview, she left her gear at her chair as she exited the court.
“At the end I was really struggling and I feel really bad right now,” Krejcikova told reporters after the match. “I don’t really know what happened but I couldn’t breathe. I started to feel dizzy and the whole world was shaking. It never happened to me before. I just gave my all at the end. It’s tough because it was my first time on such a big court playing the night session and I was really having fun until then.”
WHAT IT MEANS: The sheer improbability of her rise, coupled with the emotional quality of her relationship with the dearly departed Jana Novotna, Krejcikova’s former coach and mentor, who passed away at the age of 49 in 2017, has made the Czech a sentimental favorite on tour.. But nobody predicted that she’d be such a factor on the court.
Krejcikova had never entered the Top 100 prior to 2020, and finished last season with a ranking of 65. With Sunday’s victory over Muguruza in Arthur Ashe Stadium she improves to 42-11 in 2021 and is emerging as a true title contender in New York.
Not bad for a main draw debut.
MATCH POINT: Krejcikova, the No.8 seed, will face second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. The pair met last year in the Linz final with Sabalenka taking the victory in three sets.
