Barbora Krejcikova paid an emotional tribute to Jana Novotna following her semi-final victory against Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon.
Krejcikova came from a set down to emerge victorious, beating the 2022 Wimbledon champion 3-6 6-3 6-4 in a remarkable turnaround on Centre Court.
The world number 31 became the seventh Czech-born woman to reach a women's singles final at Wimbledon in the Open Era, following in the footsteps of her former coach.
Novotna, who won the competition in 1998 when she defeated France's Nathalie Tauziat, passed away in 2017 from ovarian cancer at the age of 49.
The pair first met when Krejcikova was 18 years old, with the 28-year-old reduced to tears as she dedicated the win to her former friend in her post-match interview.
"I just miss her very much, I miss her so much," Krejcikova said after reaching her first Wimbledon women's singles final.
"Definitely I remember thinking about Jana a lot. I have so many beautiful memories and when I step on the court here, I am fighting for every ball, and I am sure that is what she would want me to do.
"She was telling me a lot of stories about her journey here and how she was trying to win Wimbledon. I was so far away when we had this talk.
"Now I am here and I am in a final!
"I remember thinking about her a lot. I have so many beautiful memories and when I step on the court I fight for every single ball as that is what she would want me to do."
Krejcikova will face Jasmine Paolini in Saturday's final in what will be the first women's singles final at a grand slam during the Open Era where two opponents have previously met in a grand slam qualifier.
The Czech won in straight sets in the aforementioned clash at the Australian Open in 2018 and is expecting a tough encounter against the world number seven.
"A big fight. I know that she is a huge fighter and she showed today, but it will be the same from me. We are playing great tennis and it will be a great match on Saturday."
Fils beats defending champion Zverev in Hamburg Open final
Arthur Fils came through a decisive tie-break to beat home favourite Alexander Zverev in the Hamburg Open final, securing his second ATP-level title.
The 20-year-old triumphed 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-1) in a three-and-a-half-hour marathon, saving a remarkable 21 of 22 break points, including five in the final set, to follow up his 2023 triumph in Lyon.
Fils raced into a 3-0 lead in the opener before having to fend off four break points in the fifth game as he took the lead, but defending champion Zverev roared back in the second set.
Zverev got the breakthrough six games into a back-and-forth second as the big-serving German forced a decider.
Having saved break points at 4-4 and 5-5 in the third, Fils came on strong in the tie-break, recording the biggest win of his career and his fourth versus a top-10 opponent.
Data Debrief: Fils' rise continues as Zverev falls short
Fils is just the second player aged under 21 to triumph at the Hamburg Open, after Roger Federer in 2002 and Lorenzo Musetti in 2022.
Zverev, meanwhile, missed the chance to become the fifth man to defend the Hamburg title in the Open Era, after Eddie Dibbs (1973-74), Andre Medvedev (1994-95), Federer (2004-05) and Nikoloz Basilashvili (2018-19).
Nadal denied as Borges claims maiden Tour title in Swedish Open
Nuno Borges has won his first-ever ATP Tour title with an impressive straight-sets upset against Rafael Nadal at the Swedish Open.
Borges was just too strong as he raced to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Nadal, who competed in his first final since 2022.
The Portuguese took the first two games before the two traded breaks, though Borges' early edge put him in control to take the first set.
Nadal, who was forced to go the distance in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, struggled to match Borges' attack despite a strong start to the second set.
The seventh seed proceeded to win the last five games in a row to squash Nadal's hopes of a 93rd singles title, earning a maiden trophy of his own.
Data Debrief: First trophy in the bag
Borges was at the top of his game as he downed the 22-time grand slam winner on Sunday, breaking Nadal's serve five times en route to victory.
While Nadal's tournament ended in defeat, there are positives to take from Bastad having reached his first final since the 2022 French Open, and he heads to the Olympics with an 11-6 record.
Berrettini dominates Halys to win second Swiss Open title
Matteo Berrettini earned his second Swiss Open title on Sunday with a commanding straight-sets victory over Quentin Halys.
It took just 59 minutes for the Italian to dispatch the qualifier 6-3 6-1 in Gstaad for his ninth ATP Tour title.
The players were evenly matched through the opening six games, but Berrettini got a vital break in the seventh to swing momentum in his favour just before play was suspended due to rain.
When play was resumed half an hour later, Berrettini, who was 5-3 up, wasted no time regaining control, winning the next six games in a row.
Halys stopped himself from being on the wrong end of a bagel scoreline as he held off the former world number six in the penultimate game, but all he did was hold off the inevitable.
Data Debrief: Berrettini reenters winner's circle
Berrettini lifted his second Tour title of the year, winning in Gstaad for the first time since 2018, having lost in his last final appearance in 2022.
He did not give Halys a sniff - he won nine games in a row to put himself out of reach, while also winning 33 of his 37 service points (89%) and getting four breaks.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
