Home / Sports / Baptiste Upsets Champion, Faces Krejcikova at French Open
Baptiste Upsets Champion, Faces Krejcikova at French Open
24 May
Summary
- Hailey Baptiste stunned top seed Aryna Sabalenka at Madrid Open.
- Barbora Krejcikova is a two-time Grand Slam champion.
- Baptiste leads their head-to-head rivalry 1-0.
In the first round of the French Open 2026, American Hailey Baptiste, the 26th seed, will face two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova. Baptiste has been in strong form on clay this season, reaching the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open where she famously saved six match points to defeat World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka before her run ended in the semifinals.
Krejcikova, who has struggled with injuries, recently returned to action and reached the second round of the Italian Open. She then competed at the Parma Open, reaching the final. Despite her past Grand Slam triumphs, including winning both singles and doubles at Roland Garros in 2021, Krejcikova has faced challenges in Paris since then, failing to advance past the second round.
Baptiste, who has a 6-4 record on clay this year, achieved a career-high ranking after her Madrid performance and reached the fourth round of the French Open last year. Krejcikova, with a 5-2 record on clay this year, is considered the underdog against Baptiste, who won their only previous encounter in straight sets at the Wuhan Open 2024.
