Linda Noskova, 21, defeated fellow Czech Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in the Wimbledon women's singles final on Saturday, claiming her first Grand Slam title in a match that swung wildly from one extreme to the other.

The ninth seed dominated the first set, winning it in 32 minutes, and led 5-2 in the second, holding five match points. But Muchova, the 10th seed, saved all five and won five consecutive games to take the set 7-5, forcing a decider.

Noskova regrouped in the third set, breaking early and building a 5-2 lead. Muchova pulled one game back, but Noskova served out the match at the second time of asking, collapsing to the court in relief after an unreturnable serve.

She is the third Czech woman to win Wimbledon in four years, following Marketa Vondrousova (2023) and Barbora Krejcikova (2024).

An emotional Noskova said: “I have been enjoying these two weeks so much, through the sad tears and the happy tears, all the sweat and blood I put into this. It was all worth it, so I will definitely never forget this week.”

Muchova, who also lost the 2023 French Open final, said: “It’s really tough to find any words. This was your first Grand Slam final and the way you handled it and the way you played was really unbelievable.”

Source: www.aljazeera.com