The 2024 Wimbledon ladies’ singles final is set. Jasmine Paolini of Italy, the No. 7 seed, won an epic three-setter over unseeded Croatian Donna Vekic, an instant classic that makes Paolini the first Italian woman to make a Wimbledon final in the Open Era. Then Barbora Krejcikova, the No. 31 seed from Czech Republic, upset 2022 champion and 2024 favorite Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, the No. 4 seed.
Krejcikova and Paolini, both in their first Wimbledon final and second Grand Slam final overall, will face off in the ultimate match on Saturday.
Krejcikova knocks off former champ Rybakina
Rybakina was considered the favorite to win Wimbledon this year — until Krejcikova entered the picture. She defeated Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, who was practically being crowned the 2024 winner by the broadcast booth before the semifinal match even started.
Though early on, it looked like may have been right. Rybakina was dominating Krejcikova, pushing her all over the court. In a flash she was up 4-0 over Krejcikova, who then finally laid down a win to at least avoid being bageled in the first set of a Grand Slam. Even though it had barely started, Krejcikova’s hold on the entire match felt tenuous, like a stiff breeze could have knocked her down and blown her away.
But something awoke in Krejcikova near the end of the first set. She began to play with more intent, and stopped letting Rybakina dictate the pace. Her surge came a little too late to make more than a tiny little dent in the first set result, but it was clear that we were going to see a different Krejcikova in the second set.
And that we did. Krejcikova won the first game, and then when Rybakina tied it 2-2, Krejcikova moved the car into high gear and ran right over Rybakina. She ripped off three straight wins to go up 5-2 and clinched the set after giving just one game back to Rybakina. Just like the match between Paolini and Vekic, this match was going the distance after two contentious sets.
The final set was all about Krejcikova standing her ground. All she needed to do was continue to play her kind of tennis and wear Rybakina down. In the end, that’s why Krejcikova won. She was able to be consistent, especially with her serves, while Rybakina was unable to do that, especially with her serves — specifically her first serve, which seriously failed her at critical times during the match.
Paolini withstands serious challenge from Vekic
Both women’s semifinal matches went the distance on Thursday, though only the one between Paolini and Vekic set a duration record. Paolini defeated Vekic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(8) in two hours and 51 minutes, longer than any other women’s semifinal in Wimbledon history.
The match started almost as a slog, with Vekic and Paolini spending several minutes mired in the very first game. Paolini eventually won, but the action didn’t really pick up until they were tied 2-2. Vekic won that game in record time, and then never looked back. She won the next four to take 1-0 match lead.
Vekic was scoring on Paolini almost at will in the first set, but Paolini finally found her dynamic first serve in the second set. Vekic stood her ground, but Paolini had a stronger hold, and Vekic started making errors at the worst possible time. With a roar, the 5-foot-4 Italian took the second set and evened the match at 1-1.
Paolini, who lost to Iga Swiatek in the French Open final just last month, came out flat in the third set. She had to dig deep to keep up, and it was really a war of attrition for them both. Paolini struggled with errors, and Vekic struggled with what appeared to be an injured right forearm on her racket side.
The injury coincided with a decline in Vekic’s serve, and Paolini was finally able to get an edge. She took her first lead of the third set at 5-4, but it didn’t last. Vekic kept on fighting, eventually tying the set at 6-6 and forcing a tiebreak for the whole match.
Even the tiebreak was close. Paolini finally pulled out the win after two hours and 51 minutes, the longest women’s semifinal match in the history of Wimbledon. She’s just the fifth woman in the Open Era to make the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same year.
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