Barbora Krejcikova edges past home favorite Taylor Townsend in a nail-biting U.S. Open clash to advance after an epic three-set battle.(Image Credit: BBC)
Barbora Krejcikova orchestrated one of the greatest comebacks of her life, saving eight match points before coming from behind to beat American Taylor Townsend 1-6, 7-6(13), 6-3 on Sunday to advance to the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open.
The two-time Grand Slam titlist showed tremendous grit to quiet the home fans and prolong her New York stay. She now arranges a confrontation with last year's runner-up Jessica Pegula, another American darling.
Townsend was set for a fantasy win after winning the first set convincingly, breaking twice as Krejcikova battled with mistakes. The American wrapped it up in less than 30 minutes, drawing energy from the jubilant New York crowd.
The second set was more dramatic. Townsend was broken early and was about to run away with the match, but a double fault at a bad moment left the door open for Krejcikova. Then the set became a battle of wills that took a long time to resolve.
The match's climax occurred in the 25-minute second-set tiebreak, a 25-minute stretch that was the longest this year in the tournament. Townsend had a commanding 6-3 lead and held three chances to win the match, but Krejcikova fought back with bold winners.
Townsend accumulated five additional match points but could not convert, undone by nerves and Krejcikova's steadiness under pressure. Eventually, in her fourth set point, the Czech overpowered an overhead to close it out 15-13, with the crowd in awe and electrified.
Both players were visibly fatigued in the third set, trading initial breaks. But when Krejcikova found her serve again, she dominated. Serving for the match, she blew one opportunity before claiming her second match point, clinching after three harrowing hours.
Townsend, with the crowd solidly behind her, stormed off court in tears, heartbroken by the miss.
For Krejcikova, the victory is another step in her resurgence on the Grand Slam stage. "I still can't believe that I'm here," she said to the crowd. "Although the fans weren't cheering for me, I loved every second."
She now opposes Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals a match that promises to be another duel between Czech grit and American brawn.
