Paolini lost her only Slam final, to Iga Swiatek; Krejcikova won hers, over a much less imposing opponent, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Judging by the way each handled those matches, and the way each handled their first Wimbledon semifinals, I wouldn’t expect either of them to be debilitated by nerves on Saturday. Though, as Paolini said, you never know until you get to Centre Court how you’re going to feel. There’s a special pressure to the Wimbledon final; last year, Ons Jabeur was suffocated by it, even though she played the same match the year before.
Paolini and Krejcikova won their semis by hanging in, absorbing a first-set loss, and keeping the faith through a close third. They’ll know that they’re capable of doing the same thing again in the final.
As for their games, they seem pretty evenly matched at the moment. Both are top doubles players, and they have the hands and all-court skills to prove it. Paolini is faster and steadier, while Krejcikova is the streakier, heavier-hitting shot-maker.
