French Open 2021 LIVE Score, women’s singles final: Pavlyuchenkova, Krejcikova go for maiden Slam-Sports News , Firstpost

File image of Barbora Krejcikova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. AP

The French Open women’s final will feature Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova against Barbora Krejcikova.

Saturday’s winner will become a first-time Grand Slam champion. Pavlyuchenkova is a 29-year-old from Russia participating in her 52nd Grand Slam tournament. That is the most appearances at majors for any woman in the professional era before reaching the final of one.

Pavlyuchenkova, who eliminated No 3 seed Aryna Sabalenka and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka over the past two weeks, has won 12 events on tour, but nothing of this magnitude, of course.

Krejcikova is a 25-year-old from the Czech Republic who is unseeded and playing in only her fifth singles main draw at any Slam tournament. But she does already own two Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles and advanced to the final of that event in Paris with partner Katerina Siniakova.

The last woman to win both the singles and doubles titles at Roland Garros in the same year was Mary Pierce in 2000.

Krejcikova had never won a singles title of any sort on tour until last month, when she triumphed on clay at Strasbourg, France. She enters Saturday on an 11-match winning streak, including victories over 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, No 5 seed Elina Svitolina and 17-year-old Coco Gauff at Roland Garros.

With inputs from AP.