How craft and IQ defined Sara Bejlek’s run to the Abu Dhabi Open title

After winning the biggest title of her young life, Sara Bejlek did not jump for joy or fall back onto the court in Abu Dhabi.

When Ekaterina Alexandrova’s last backhand found the net on Saturday, the 20-year-old from Czechia took a few steps inside the baseline, stopped and closed her eyes. Balancing her racket on her head with both hands, a smile blossomed on her face. Thoughts?

“I can tell you all the pressure came out of me,” Bejlek explained later. “I was just happy -- I didn’t have anything in my head. I was just enjoying the moment.”

The 7-6 (5), 6-1 victory in this WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz final was the qualifier’s seventh in a life-changing whirlwind of eight days. Down 4-2 in that first-set tiebreak, Bejlek won five of the last six points before disappearing in the second to collect this WTA 500 title.

What changed?

“I just calmed down a bit,” Bejlek said. “At the start of the tiebreak I was quite nervous because [earlier] I had two set points and the pressure was on me a bit more. So in that moment, I calmed down and I was just believing.”

That belief carried her extraordinarily far this week at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, for Bejlek is not blessed with the size and stature of virtually every opponent she faces.

She stands less than 5-foot-3. 

Bejlek compensates with a robust tennis IQ, a craftiness well beyond her years. She likes to slice the ball and repeatedly drew Alexandrova -- a traditional baseliner with a big forehand -- forward with short balls. Bejlek has already developed the touch and feel to hit lob winners and still generate enough power to pass. Her defense is relentless. Being left-handed is another weapon.

“It’s bad that I’m smaller,” Bejlek said laughing. “But I’m using my own powers, which I have -- running, and when I can hit harder, I hit harder. 

“Yeah, I’m using the things which the taller players don’t have. I’m playing tennis with the feeling I have in that moment.”

Bejlek is another in a long line of talented Czech women making an impression on the WTA Tour. Coming in, her ranking was No. 101 -- on Monday, she’ll be up to No. 52, one spot ahead of compatriot Barbora Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion.

“Oh, that means so much,” Bejlek said of that leap of 49 spots. “But I know that behind this is all the hard work that me and the team have been putting in the last couple of weeks, months, years.

“We were struggling past two years with my health, so now I’m very happy how we handled it, how we managed to take all the good things from that.”

Here’s more of Bejlek’s conversation with wtatennis.com:

Can you describe how tired you are right now?

[Laughing]. Right now, actually, it’s not so bad. Because all the atmosphere from the people, the crowd, it gave me extra power and extra energy. So today from the morning I felt, surprisingly to me, very good. But let’s see what will happen when I wake up tomorrow.

You are only 20 years old … did you think you could win your first WTA Tour-level title at this age?

Actually, I just turned 20 this Saturday [Jan. 31]. From the first day, all the people were joking about if I were 19 I wouldn’t [win the title]. At 20, everything changes. They were like, 'Sara, this is changing your life.' We were just joking around, and I wasn’t thinking about anything this week.

You beat two Top 20 players, Clara Tauson and Ekaterina Alexandrova, for the first time in your career – what does that mean to you?

Now I know that I can play with the top players. I don’t need to be really scared about them. Even though the people around me were telling me that I didn’t need to be scared of anybody. But now I know that with some practices and everything that I can handle it. In women’s tennis, it’s all about the mentality.

How would you describe your game to people who haven’t seen you play?

Energy and power. 

You come from a long line of great players from Czechia. How did those players inspire you when you were growing up? 

I think all the Czechia players, we are inspiring ourselves together. It’s kind of good to have all the good players in Czechia. Yeah, because we can practice together. It’s so good to have all of us there.

Who were your favorite players growing up? 

When I was a kid … Obviously, Rafa was like the biggest hero for me. And from the Czechia players, I would say Petra Kvitova because she was also a lefty. She was the best in the moment when I was young. She had a totally different game, but she was the kind of player I want to be one day.

What’s next. Will you play Dubai?

Yes. In this moment, I’m in qualies, but my agent is doing his task, trying to get me a wild card.