Krejcikova, at 28, was playing her first Wimbledon final, but she started the match with the assurance and savvy of a five-time champion. She steamrolled past Paolini, 6-2 in the first set, making virtually all of her first serves, following them up with effortless crosscourt winners from her forehand side, and playing with a beautifully effective simplicity. Contrary to the expectations that the Italian would be the more vocal and passionate competitor, it was the normally low-key Krejcikova who punctured the sacred arena’s silence with constant shouts of self-encouragement.
And then, with all the momentum going her way, and Paolini scrambling just to stay in points, Krejcikova took her foot off the gas. Instead of powering through her two-handed backhand, she chopped at it tentatively and sent it limply into the net. Instead of rolling her forehands for winners, she struck them late and floated them wide. Worst of all, her first serve abandoned her.
With the door suddenly ajar, Paolini wasted no time kicking it wide open. Now it was her first-serve percentage that rose, her forehands that skidded through the grass for winners, and her first-pumps and shots that filled up Centre Court. When they could be heard over the roar of the crowd, that is. As she has been all tournament and all summer, Paolini was the fan favorite on Saturday.
“I was trying to refocus, to say to myself, “OK, it’s tough, but you have to start to hit the ball stronger and try to relax a little bit,” said Paolini, who had lost the first set to Donna Vekic in the semifinals before coming back to win.
