It was almost too much to bear.
Maria Sakkari had battled back brilliantly from a set down against Barbora Krejcikova. She had missed a match point at 5-3, saved three match points – including one that came about when the ball trickled agonisingly off the net tape and died – but, finally, had just sent a forehand fractionally long on a fourth. You had to feel for the Greek. She had given everything; it had been dramatic, nerve shredding stuff, the kind of contest you didn’t want to end.
Remarkably, it didn’t end.
As Krejcikova thrust her arms aloft, trying to take in the enormity of what she had achieved, joy suddenly gave way to disbelief. Had Sakkari’s shot been in after all? The chair umpire thought so, the Czech believed otherwise. Hawk-Eye, which is not used at Roland Garros, suggested Krejcikova was right. It mattered not. Battle was resumed and Sakkari pummelled a winner to stay in contention.
A fifth match point came along soon enough, and this time Krejcikova made no mistake, guiding a signature backhand down the line to seal a 7-5, 4-6, 9-7 victory. The 25-year-old had won through to her first grand slam singles final. Twice. She would now play Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who had come through in straight sets against Tamara Zidansek in the other half of the draw.
Incredulity was writ large on Krejcikova’s face at the end. Then, slowly, realisation sank in, followed by relief. There was pain, too, as Krejcikova grabbed an ice pack and shoved it against her calf. It was a wonder she needed it. For three hours and 18 minutes, she had been the coolest person in the arena.
Krejcikova was the steadier of the two emotionally and stuck doggedly to her task regardless of score or circumstance. It was her level-headedness that won the day. Sakkari, the 17th seed, was the highest-ranked of the four semi-finalists, but it was Krejcikova, a former world No 1 in doubles whose CV includes wins at three of the four slams, who had the greater experience. She made that advantage count.
For all the drama of the occasion, the tennis was of variable quality. Between them, the players made 111 unforced errors. It was nonetheless a match that will long be remembered. Sakkari played with burning passion, occasional brilliance and a desperate, almost painful desire for victory. For long stretches of the contest, her dreams of a first major final seemed almost certain to be realised.
The unrelenting tide of emotion continued even after the final ball had been struck. In her courtside interview, Krejcikova hailed the magnificent, switchback tussle as the stuff of her childhood dreams. She then paid tribute to the late Jana Novotna, who became her coach and mentor after Krejcikova visited her home as an 18-year-old to seek the former Wimbledon champion’s advice.
“I always wanted to play a match like this,” said Krejcikova. “Every time when I was younger and I was playing juniors, I always wanted to play a match like this. Such a challenging match, when we both had our chances, when we’d both been playing so well, and only one can win. Even if I lost today, I would be very proud of myself because I was just fighting. I think it’s the most important thing, just to fight, every time, in here but also in normal life.”
She then thanked Jan Kodes and Martina Navratilova, legendary figures in the Czech Republic as well as the wider tennis world, adding: “Thank you guys, you are my heroes. And also Jana Novotna from upstairs. She is just really looking after me. I really miss her and I really want to thank her for just being the reason I am here. It’s really important to me to say this out loud.”
On Friday, Krejcikova will contest the semi-finals of the doubles alongside her compatriot Katerina Siniakova. She is bidding to become the first woman to win both the singles and doubles since Mary Pierce in 2000. You would not put it past her.