Roland Garros 2023: Austin Krajicek wins first Grand Slam title, clinches world No. 1

One year after missing out on championship points in the 2022 Roland Garros men's doubles final, Austin Krajicek and Croatian partner Ivan Dodig finished the job on Saturday at the clay-court Grand Slam.

With a 6-3, 6-1 victory against unseeded Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, the 32-year-old Krajicek claimed his maiden major title and a debut as world No. 1.

"It feels great, especially after the final last year, it was an extremely tough loss. It feels amazing to have another chance 12 months on and we were able to get it done," the American said post-match, as quoted on the official Roland Garros website.

"I was trying not to think about the No. 1. We really wanted to win this match. It means a lot, but our goal is to make Turin again [for the ATP Finals]. I've been more focused as a team."

After claiming the Roland Garros title, Krajicek and Dodig are well on course to return to the year-end event as the first-placed team in the 2023 Race to Turin, nearly 1,000 ranking points clear of their nearest competitors.

"Like everybody, it was a huge goal to be world No. 1 one day, so it's pretty cool," added Tampa native Krajicek. "But we're back to the drawing board next week and excited to get on the grass."

The American-Croatian pairing lost their first three ATP Tour matches of last season, but then won nine matches in a row as they claimed the Lyon title and reached the Roland Garros final. In a heartbreaking defeat in last year's Paris title round, they lost three championship points in a 7–6(4), 6–7(5), 3–6 defeat to Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer.

“We waited 12 months for another opportunity to be here,” Krajicek said during the trophy ceremony. “It really is special. We’ll keep fighting, we’re always looking to get better. [It was] a great tournament and we’ll keep building on that.”

Krajicek and Dodig regrouped last season by winning titles in Naples and Basel to finish the year, then followed it up with triumphs in Rotterdam and Monte Carlo this season before breaking through at the Grand Slam level in Paris. They have also reached six additional finals beginning with last year's run in Paris, results that have now helped propel Krajicek to world No. 1.