Sara Bejlek came up with one of the shots of Roland Garros so far against Iga Swiatek in the second round on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old trailed 5-1, 30-30, but she wasn't about to let go of the first set easily. Swiatek threw an absolute barrage of power at Bejlek -- fizzing topspin that pushed the five-foot-four Czech almost into the back wall of Court Philippe-Chatrier, drive volleys, smashes, angled backhands. Bejlek soaked it all up, throwing up high moonballs to stay in the point and showing off incredible foot speed.
But if the crowd were starting to think that all Bejlek had to offer was entertaining but ultimately harmless defense, the World No. 35 quickly disabused them of that notion. The moment she had a fraction more purchase on the ball, Bejlek -- still standing meters behind the baseline -- ripped a forehand down the line for a clean winner, delivering the knockout blow that Swiatek had failed to find over the preceding 22 strokes.
Bejlek eventually broke Swiatek back in that game, but lost the match 6-2, 6-3 for her second consecutive loss in the Roland Garros second round. The rising talent is beginning to develop a reputation as one of the most entertaining watches on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz -- last year in Paris, one of Bejlek's extraordinary defensive plays was the subject of one of the best tennis photos of the year. This February, she captured her first WTA title as a qualifier in Abu Dhabi, claiming the first two Top 20 wins of her career over Clara Tauson and Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final two rounds.