Barbora Krejcikova saves 8 match points in epic US Open comeback against Taylor Townsend

Barbora Krejcikova won a true battle against Taylor Townsend, saving up to 8 match points before claiming a 1-6, 7-6(13), 6-3 victory in a match that lasted 3 hours and 6 minutes. The 2-time Grand Slam champion managed one of the most remarkable comebacks of her career to secure a spot in the US Open quarterfinals.

It was one of those matches that will be remembered, with a stadium fully behind its representative, Townsend, who dominated the match and came close to achieving her first-ever appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal. However, she squandered a total of 8 match points in a tiebreak that lasted more than 25 minutes.

Krejcikova earned a revitalizing win for her ranking. Starting the tournament at No. 62, she is now positioned at No. 39 in the live rankings. The Czech player has once again shown she is made for the biggest stages. Her next challenge will be against the 2024 US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula.

First Set

Things looked great for the home player from the start. While Krejcikova opened the match with a hard-fought service game, Townsend responded by easily holding her own. The American looked impeccable on serve, far outshining an erratic Krejcikova. Townsend had a 93% first-serve percentage, winning 85% of those points, while Krejcikova only got 55% of her first serves in and won a mere 47% of those points.

Townsend quickly got a break, which put her ahead and gave her control of the match against a more-than-erratic Krejcikova. After the first break, the American won 16 of the next 18 points to close out the set, totaling a run of six consecutive games in her favor. Krejcikova looked demoralized by her constant unforced errors, especially from the forehand side.

Second Set

What happened in the second set was a true rollercoaster. The Czech player finally managed to hold her serve at the start, making it 1-1. However, Townsend quickly broke, going up 3-1 and appearing to be on her way to a historic victory.

However, the European, true to her style, didn't give up and maintained her composure even in the most difficult moments. She created a couple of break opportunities and managed to get back on serve. The former world No. 2 was serving at 4-5 when Townsend had her first match point, but Krejcikova held on. After a couple of late breaks, everything came down to a tiebreak.

The tiebreak lasted 25 minutes and saw Townsend hold another 7 match points that she couldn't convert. The American had a 6-3 lead, but Krejcikova responded to even the score. The Czech never gave up, and after a total of 28 points, she closed out the second set with an incredible 7-6 [15-13] score, with the set alone lasting 1 hour and 39 minutes.

Third Set

The third set was a true battle of nerves, especially considering the number of opportunities Townsend had squandered. Both players held their serve at the start, but the first break opportunity came in the sixth game, with Krejcikova taking a 4-2 lead.

Townsend broke right back and stepped up to serve at 3-4, with a chance to even the score again. However, she couldn't replicate her first-set performance, and Krejcikova got a second consecutive break. This time it was decisive, as the 2-time major champion didn't hesitate with her serve to close out the match, securing an epic 1-6, 7-6(13), 6-3 victory to return to a Grand Slam quarterfinal. The former Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion showed once again that at majors, she is a player to be reckoned with and that she has the mentality of a true champion.

Match Statistics Krejcikova vs. Townsend