Barbora Krejcikova spoiled the homecoming party in Athens on Sunday, defeating Greece's Maria Sakkari 7-6(5), 6-3 in 1 hour and 43 minutes to win the 2026 Vanda Pharmaceuticals Athens Open, as reported by the [WTA](https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4538822/krejcikova-halts-greek-hopes-beats-sakkari-in-athens-for-9th-wta-singles-crown). The victory delivered the Czech her ninth career WTA singles title and her first since Wimbledon in 2024.
Sakkari, playing in front of an adoring home crowd on the WTA Tour's return to Athens for the first time since 1990, twice threatened to derail the favourite. She surged to a 4-1 lead in the opening set before Krejcikova edged a tight tiebreak 7-6(5), then broke for a 2-1 advantage in the second. Each time, the 2021 Wimbledon champion reeled her back in, closing the match by taking five of the final six games — including the last three — to seal the straight-sets win.
The title carries added significance for Krejcikova, who has battled a series of injuries that dragged her down the rankings. The former singles world No. 2 and doubles No. 1 is projected to climb to No. 26 on Monday after a week in which she dropped just one set, with wins over Zheng Qinwen, Clara Tauson and Sakkari. It is the ninth singles crown of a career that also includes 20 doubles titles, 12 combined Grand Slam trophies across singles, doubles and mixed doubles, and Olympic gold from Tokyo 2021. She improved to 9-6 in tour-level finals and maintained a perfect 4-0 record against Sakkari.
