Tearful defending champion Krejcikova knocked out of Wimbledon
The 29-year-old had to fight back from a set down to beat rising star Alexandra Eala in the first round before another tense three-set win over Caroline Dolehide in the second round.
There would be no dramatic escape for Krejcikova this time, with the 17th seed's fitness problems finally catching up with her.
Krejcikova arrived at Wimbledon with just six matches under her belt in an injury-ravaged 2025.
The two-time Grand Slam champion has endured a difficult time since defeating Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon final last year, having played just six matches this season prior to returning to the All England Club this week.
She was out of action until May after suffering a back injury and lost in the second round of the French Open.
Krejcikova also pulled out of the recent Eastbourne Open before the quarter-finals with a thigh problem.
The world number 16 had relished being back on the hallowed turf of the All England Club, describing her first-round match on Centre Court as like "playing in the temple of tennis".
Initially it seemed she would be equally inspired on Court One as Krejcikova strolled through the first set.
But the Czech lost her rhythm in the second set and Navarro pounced to level the match.
Krejcikova took a lengthy spell off-court to compose herself before the decider, but she quickly squandered five break points and then dropped her own serve in the third game.
Leaning on her racquet with a concerned grimace after another unforced error, Krejcikova looked less than fully fit.
She managed to break in the next game but Navarro immediately regained the lead with another break, prompting Krejcikova to call for a medical time-out that included having her blood pressure checked.
Constantly bending over in obvious discomfort, Krejcikova's Wimbledon reign was coming to a painful end.
Even a break back for the Czech couldn't lift her and Navarro delivered the knockout blow, breaking again before serving out the victory as Krejcikova left the court struggling to hold back tears.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
Wimbledon champion Alcaraz challenges movie star Tom Holland to golf match
Alcaraz and Spiderman actor Holland chatted after the Spaniard's practice session before he crushed Britain's Cameron Norrie in straight sets on Centre Court. Their conversation turned to golf as Alcaraz said: "Tom, I saw you playing golf as well. Good swing, good swing, eh?" Holland, a noted tennis fan, responded by saying: "We should play. I'll give you my number and we'll get a game together". With two days to relax before his semi-final against American fifth seed Taylor Fritz on Friday, Alcaraz accepted Holland's challenge following his quarter-final victory. "Once we set up a match on golf, I just go for it. I see him playing sometimes. There are some videos of him playing golf. I would say he could beat me," Alcaraz told reporters at the All England Club. Alcaraz, a five-time Grand Slam champion, is bidding to win Wimbledon for a third successive year. In his down-time between matches, the world number two has revealed he likes to switch off from tennis by playing golf and travelling into London. The 22-year-old has already played golf with former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray ahead of this year's tournament. Now he wants a celebrity match-up against Holland, who has been performing on stage in Romeo and Juliet in London. "I would love to play against him in the golf course. For me it would be such an honour," Alcaraz said. "I will try to set it up in these two days that I will have much time to do it. So let's see if he will be available, and we'll tee it up." © 2025 AFP
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
France wildfire shuts down Marseille airport
04:50 08/07/2025 UK-France: The tide of realpolitik rises as the sea of rhetoric fades on both sides of the Channel UK 08/07/2025 Why are French police struggling to curb migrant Channel crossings? France 06/07/2025 The Seine closes for a day due to bad weather in Paris. France 05/07/2025 Tour de France gets under way on home soil for first time in five years France 05/07/2025 Title contenders Pogacar, Vingegaard eye Yellow Jersey France 05/07/2025 French cognac brands sales to China fell 70% France 05/07/2025 Seine reopens to Paris swimmers after century-long ban France 05/07/2025 Pogacar and Vingegaard looking to repeat their victory at the Tour de France France
France 24
10 hours ago
- France 24
Imperious Alcaraz routs Norrie to reach Wimbledon semis
Alcaraz needed just 99 minutes to thrash Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in his most commanding performance in this year's tournament. The Spanish second seed dropped four sets in a series of scrappy displays during his run to the last eight. But Alcaraz was back to his imperious best in the quarter-finals, blasting 39 winners to set up a last four clash with American fifth seed Taylor Fritz. With world number one Jannik Sinner struggling with an elbow injury after trailing by two sets in the fourth round before his opponent Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire, Alcaraz looks like the title favourite heading into the closing stages of the tournament. Alcaraz is on a career-best 23 match winning run since losing to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final in April -- a superb streak which has brought him titles at the French Open, the Rome Masters and Monte Carlo. The Spaniard, who vanquished Novak Djokovic in the last two Wimbledon finals, has won 34 of his 37 Tour-level matches on grass, while his last defeat at the All England Club came against Sinner in the fourth round in 2022. Alcaraz is only the second Spanish man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals on at least three occasions after Rafael Nadal, who made eight appearances in the last four. The five-time Grand Slam champion is aiming to become the fifth man to win Wimbledon in three consecutive years in the Open era afer Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic. Alcaraz, who will be making his eighth Grand Slam semi-final appearance, is also bidding to become the second-youngest player in the Open era, after Borg, to win six major men's singles titles. Alcaraz wasted little time asserting his dominance with breaks in the third and fifth games of a one-sided opening set. The 22-year-old was equally commanding in the second set as the world number 61 struggled to stem the tide. Alcaraz was in total control and the third set followed the same pattern, with the decisive break coming in the sixth game as he sealed his victory in ruthless fashion.
