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The Prague Open will see a home player lift the title after Barbora Krejcikova and Tereza Martincova made it to Sunday’s final. Krejcikova and Martincova, the last two Czech players left in the draw, came through their respective semi-finals in straight sets on Saturday.
In the first semi-final, the eighth-seeded Martincova defeated Greet Minnen, the ninth seed from Belgium, 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 37 minutes. Martincova was broken thrice in the match but converted five of the seven break points she had on Minnen’s serve.
She finished the match with 67 points, nine more than Minnen’s 58. The second semi-final between Xinyu Wang and the second-seeded Krejcikova was even more straightforward. The world no. 17 needed just 69 minutes to complete a 6-1, 6-2 win over the Chinese player.
Krejcikova saved the lone break point she faced while converting five of the nine break points, she had on Wang’s serve. Twenty points separated the victor from the player who lost the match, with Krejcikova winning 61 points.
Prague Open: Czechs rule roost
This is Krejcikova’s fourth final of the 2021 season. Of the previous three finals she’s played this year, she’s won two, including the French Open. Her sole defeat came at the Dubai Open that she lost to Garbine Muguruza.
Meanwhile, this is Martincova’s first career final. This will be the pair’s fourth career meeting. Martincova holds a slender 2-1 win-to-loss record against her higher-ranked compatriot but Krejcikova won their last match, at the 2020 Ostrava Open in straight sets.
Meanwhile, in the lone doubles semi-final played at the Prague Open on Saturday, the third-seeded Czech team of Marie Bouzkova and Lucie Hradecka emerged as the winners. Bouzkova and Hradecka defeated the second seeds Asia Muhammad and Storm Sanders 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 16 minutes.
In the final, the Czechs will take on the top-seeded Slovakian-Serbian team of Viktoria Kuzmova and Nina Stojanovic. Photo Credit: Prague Open Twitter