Day 13 at The Championships hosts the championship matches in ladies’ singles, ladies’ doubles, and gentlemen’s doubles.
It’s cliché, and usually untrue, to say “No one expected these two finalists.” But in this case, it is absolutely true. Prior to this fortnight, Jasmine Paolini had never won a match at The Championships. And Barbora Krejcikova arrived at SW19 with a losing record on the year. Yet both will play in their second Major singles final on Saturday, after inspired play during this tournament.
Barbora Krejcikova after winning her semifinal on Thursday (twitter.com/wimbledon)
Barbora Krejcikova (31) vs. Jasmine Paolini (7) – 2:00pm on Centre Court
After failing to advance beyond the second round in her first 16 appearances at Majors, Paolini is now 15-2 in her last three, and is the first WTA player to reach the final of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon since Serena Williams in 2016. Jasmine is 30-12 on the year, and has won 14 of her last 16 matches. She has been taken to three sets twice during this event, most recently outlasting Donna Vekic in a third-set tiebreak during Thursday’s semifinals.
Krejcikova has also required three sets in two of her six matches to this stage, upsetting 2022 champion Elena Rybakina in the semis. That was the third win in a row for Barbora over a higher-seed, after ousting two other big hitters, Danielle Collins and Jelena Ostapenko. She’s accomplished all this despite being just 7-9 this season before this tournament began. Injuries have plagued her career since her 2021 Roland Garros singles title, including a back injury earlier this year.
Paolini is 2-4 lifetime in singles finals at WTA level, while Krejcikova is 7-5. However, when you consider their appearances in Major finals between singles and doubles, Paolini is 0-2, having lost both the women’s singles and doubles finals last month in Paris, while Krejcikova is an amazing 11-1. That’s a huge contrast in success at Grand Slam level.
These players also possess contrasting styles. Paolini has been crushing her forehand, using it to come forward and show off her great hands at the net. Krejcikova has a good serve, as well as both power and guile on her groundstrokes. She loves using her slice to keep her opponents off-balance. However, that will be more difficult to do against such a great mover like Jasmine. And Barbora’s forehand has become unreliable in some crucial moments during this fortnight, which the Italian can target.
But on this surface, and considering her history in Major finals, I give the edge to Krejcikova to win her second Major singles title. Plus, Barbora has already won two ladies’ doubles titles on this same court. And she would surely cherish the chance to honor her late coach and mentor Jana Novotna by holding the Venus Rosewater Dish aloft on Centre Court, just as Jana did in 1998.
Other Notable Matches on Saturday:
Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson (15) vs. Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten – This is a fourth Major final in men’s doubles for Purcell, who won this title two years ago alongside another Aussie, Matthew Ebden. Thompson had never advanced beyond the fourth round of a Major in either men’s singles or doubles until this run. Patten is also a Major final debutante, while Heliovaara won last year’s US Open in mixed doubles.
Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend (4) vs. Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe (2) – Siniakova is playing for the ninth Major title in women’s doubles, while Townsend is playing for her first, after going 0-2 in previous finals. Dabrowski and Routliffe are the reigning US Open champions, and Routliffe will become the new World No.1 in women’s doubles on Monday, regardless of Saturday’s result.
Saturday’s full Order of Play is here.
