Krejcikova knocks out Maria Sakkari to face Pavlyuchenkova

Unseeded Czech Barbora Krejcikova pulled off a titanic victory to reach her first Grand Slam singles final at Roland Garros on Thursday, outlasting No.17 seed Maria Sakkari 7-5, 4-6, 9-7 in a three-hour and 18-minute epic.

After the match Maria Sakkari said

"When I was serving for the match, I thought I was very closed to the final. I have to find a way to trick my mind and not to do that again. It's hard to express how bad I'm feeling right know. Even if it was a good run, I'm disappointed not to play the final."

" I got stressed. Rookie mistake. I started thinking I was point away. Played more passive. Didn't go for it. It's human emotions, but I'll learn. It hurts a lot. I was so close, just 1 point away. Next time I'll trick my mind. I'm very sad.

Earlier, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Tamara Zidansek in straight sets to reach a first Grand Slam final at the French Open on Thursday at a record 52nd attempt.

The 29-year-old Russian defeated world number 85 Zidansek 7-5, 6-3 and will face Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic for the title on Saturday, 14 years after her Grand Slam debut.