Jasmine struggles but loses, Krejcicova wins Wimbledon

By a whisker, Jasmine Paolini did not win the final against Barbora Krejcikova, betrayed at the most delicate moment by her serve and after having cancelled two match points: the Czech, already champion in Paris in 2021, won 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, conquering her first trophy at Wimbledon. It remains Paolini's beautiful performance in the most prestigious of tournaments where, before this year, she had never gone beyond the first round. And from Monday she will be world number 5.

It was a two-sided match in the first two sets: Krejcikova easily won the first, in 36 minutes, serving well and playing deep. Jasmine appeared contracted, couldn't find the answer, was foul, and failed to bring home a hard-fought point that could perhaps have reversed the trend of the partial. In the second it was a different story. The Czech, up to that moment constant in her performance, made more mistakes (14 fouls) and was less continuous with her serve, while the Italian was attentive in her manoeuvres, pushed as she knows how to do from the back (8 winners against her opponent's 4) and defended well. She finished 6-2 to the roar of the crowd which, as always in these days, was all for her. Applause also from Tom Cruise and Zendaya, as well as from two legends like Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova sitting in the royal box.

From the head-to-head of the first games, it is clear that another match begins. Each of the finalists also held serve until the 3rd game when Jasmine cancelled a first break point but not the second: she lost her serve with a double fault on the second break point, an error that compromised the outcome of the match. The opponent in turn conceded two break points on 5-4, did not transform the first match point, with an ace she got the second that failed at the net, but made the third with a great first.

Jasmine's disappointment is great: 'I'm a bit sad, I try to keep smiling because I have to remind myself that today is still a good day. I made it to the final at Wimbledon, as a little girl I used to watch them on TV and cheer Federer. To be here is crazy, I enjoyed every moment," said the Italian in the post-match interview, while Krejcikova, emotional, declared that "it's definitely the best day of my tennis career, maybe the best day of my life".

The Czech, 28 years old, former Slam and Olympic champion in doubles (with Katerina Siniakova), won here at Wimbledon in the quarter-finals with Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals with Elena Rybakina (number 4 seed): she rises from 31st to 10th place.