Rising Tennis Tracker · Player Dossier CZE

First qualifier ever to win the Abu Dhabi Open

Sara Bejlek

Left-handed, two-handed backhand, turned pro in 2021 — the Czech clay-courter who qualified for the US Open at 16 and won her first WTA title from qualifying in Abu Dhabi.

Career-High Rank

No. 34

6 APR 2026

Current Rank

No. 101

3 FEB 2026

Age

20

B. 31 JAN 2006

Turned Pro

2021

ZNOJMO, CZE

Career Trajectory

Surface Split

HARD
CLAY
One tour-level grass draw: Wimbledon 2026 First WTA title on hard (Abu Dhabi 2026) All her WTA 125 titles came on clay

Quick Facts

Birthplace

Znojmo, Czech Republic

Residence

Hrušovany nad Jevišovkou, CZE

Height

163 cm (5'4")

Plays

Left-handed

Backhand

Two-handed

Best Slam

French Open 2R (2025, 2026)

The Breakthrough

Bejlek arrived in Abu Dhabi in February 2026 ranked No. 101, needing two qualifying wins just to reach the main draw of the WTA 500 event. Eight days and seven wins later she was the champion — the first qualifier, and the first Czech, to take the title in the tournament's five-year history. Along the way she collected a career-best win over No. 24 Jelena Ostapenko, outlasted third seed Clara Tauson in a three-hour semifinal, and then dismantled No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(5), 6-1 in the final for her first tour-level trophy.

"I don't need to be scared of anybody." — After winning the Abu Dhabi Open, February 2026 (The National)

The week catapulted her roughly 60 places up the rankings and into the top 40 within two months. It was the payoff of a long, patient climb: the girl who qualified for the 2022 US Open at 16 — the youngest player in that main draw, part of a Czech teenage wave with Linda Nosková and Linda Fruhvirtová — had spent the intervening seasons stacking up clay-court titles on the ITF and WTA 125 circuits before her game finally translated to the biggest stage.

In Her Own Words

"I was trying to go on the court, enjoy every moment."

ON HER ABU DHABI TITLE RUN, FEBRUARY 2026 · THE NATIONAL

"It shows my fight in every point."

ON A PHOTO OF HER DIVING FOR A BALL AT ROLAND GARROS 2025 · ROLANDGARROS.COM

"I think I'll always be a player for clay."

ON HER FAVOURITE SURFACE · ROLANDGARROS.COM

Playing Style

Left-handed angles Variety and slice Defensive skill Heavy topspin off the ground Clay-court pedigree
Sources: Wikipedia (Sára Bejlek; 2026 Abu Dhabi Open – Singles) · WTA official player profile · WTATennis.com, "Breakthrough complete! Qualifier Bejlek wins first title in Abu Dhabi" · WTATennis.com, "Czech teens Fruhvirtova, Noskova, Bejlek qualify for US Open main draw" · The National, "Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open: Sara Bejlek savours victory at 'favourite tournament'" · RolandGarros.com, "A different type of tennis shot" · Tennis Majors, February 2026.
Compiled from public match reporting and official tour data — no private or unpublished sources used.