Sara Bejlek's four-year journey comes full circle vs. Krejcikova at Cincinnati debut
CINCINNATI -- The last time Sara Bejlek faced Barbora Krejcikova, she was 16 going on 17 years old and was playing in her second-ever Grand Slam main draw at the 2023 Australian Open.
Bejlek faced her Czech compatriot in the first round after navigating qualifiers in Melbourne three and half years ago. Though she left Australia that year with a 6-3, 6-1 defeat to Krejcikova -- a match she forgets -- Bejlek remembers the thrill of qualifying for the major.
"That was crazy for me," Bejlek told wtatennis.com in Cincinnati Sunday. "I qualified for the first time in my life and it was incredible. I was kind of nervous, a little bit in pain and I think everything was against me there [laughing]. That's the only thing I remember that I didn't feel good there."
That Round of 128 Melbourne match is a blur for Bejlek, but on Sunday, she moved into the third round in her debut at the Cincinnati Open, ousting Krejcikova 7-6 (5), 6-4. The lefty also defeated fellow Czech Karolina Pliskova in the first round, and is now through to her first WTA 1000 third round in two years on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
"I just remember that I was injured there, so that was the only thing I remembered," Bejlek said on the first meeting in Melbourne. "I didn't love anything on the court, but today I felt very good, very comfortable, and I'm very happy how I handled it.
"Since the first day (in Cincinnati), I feel good here. These conditions, it's not easy to get used to it, but I feel good on the court, good outside of the court, so I'm happy."
At the Australian Open in 2023, Bejlek entered qualifying ranked No. 175. Today, she's ranked No. 35 in the world and has a WTA singles title in the books, winning the Abu Dhabi 500 back in February.
The road in between wasn't as smooth as it may seem. Bejlek said to wtatennis.com in Charleston earlier this year she's dealt with health issues and injuries, which created a "mystery cycle" but the win in the United Arab Emirates capital was the culmination of getting back into shape and full health.
"I had a feeling that I could be one of the better players than that I was," Bejlek said in Charleston in April. "A couple of years, I was a bit struggling with the health, so it was kind of stopping me when I got back into shape and I got injured again, and it was a mystery circle for us. And after the title in Abu Dhabi, I got a bit more released, and because inside of me, I still I had the feeling that I could be better always, and I'm very happy that I managed it this year to get it into (top) 100 and I will now try to be there."
"I've gone through a lot of ups and downs," Bejlek added Sunday in Cincinnati. "In this moment, it's all good, and tennis is a life where you'll never know what will happen the next day, how are you're going to feel, how the match is going to look.
"It can look different every single day. The life through these four years was very hard, and I'm still getting used to it, but I'm very happy how I'm handling it."
With that 500 title, Bejlek's ranking boosted from outside the top 100 to outside the top 40, and she's been able to directly enter higher-level tournaments. Her schedule the past few years on tour had consisted of several World Tennis/ITF tournaments.
Bejlek had always enjoyed the clay courts because it was the surface she grew up on, and they had ranked a top of her pyramid of the surfaces. That was until she won Abu Dhabi, which then propelled hard courts to the top.
"It never was. It was always clay, but after Middle East, my mind changed [laughing]," Bejlek said.
"I'm very excited this year (for hard courts). On the clay and grass, it was very tough for me. I was really looking forward to play on hard court again because I was feeling good in the end after Dubai and Miami. So far so good."
One of the continued highlights of this swing for Bejlek is competing back in her home country at the Prague Open WTA 250. It's one of two tour-level tournaments in Czechia, alongside Ostrava, and Bejlek has reached the quarterfinals in Prague each of the last two years.
What's new this season is the WTA 1000 tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati, neither of which Bejlek has played before. Normally, she'd focus on preparing for US Open qualifiers, but now has the luxury of a direct entry, and she's ready to make most of the opportunity.
"Last two years, I was playing qualifiers of US Open, so I didn't really want to go to Montreal Cincinnati and wait," Bejlek said. "It would be for me too long, but this year, thanks to Abu Dhabi, I got to main draw to all of these tournaments, so I'm very happy.
"I'm getting more experiences from the tour. I see how it works, with the mandatory tournaments, which I need to play. I'm getting used to it, and I'm visiting the tournaments I've never played. All the tournaments are going to be new for me. I will try to enjoy it and do my best, and let's see how it comes."
Bejlek will face the winner of Anna Blinkova and Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round.
