Linda Noskova, 21, won her first Grand Slam title by beating compatriot Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in the women’s final at Wimbledon. The Czech, number 12 in the ranking, overcame a debacle in the second set where she wasted five match points and a 5-2 lead.
During a bathroom break, Noskova saw the trophies and vowed to fight until the end.
“I was like, ‘I’m not going to take the small one. I’m going to take the big one. I’ve been so close. This will probably be the disappointment of my life,'” Noskova said. “I’m going to leave my soul on the court in the third set, whatever it is.”
He kept his promise. In the third set, he claimed victory with a service winner on his sixth match point and collapsed to the grass.
With this triumph, Noskova becomes the third Czech woman in four years to win Wimbledon, after Marketa Vondrousova (2023) and Barbora Krejcikova (2024). Additionally, she is the youngest player to achieve this since Petra Kvitova was also 21 years old in 2011.
Personal improvement
Noskova dedicated the win to her mother, who died just before she played Wimbledon two years ago.
“I definitely wouldn’t be here without her, so thank you,” Noskova said blowing a kiss to the sky.
Martina Navratilova, present in the Royal Box, was moved to tears.
Muchova, a second-time major finalist, jokingly called Noskova “my former friend” during the ceremony.
“You are very young and this was your first Grand Slam final and the way you handled it… it was really incredible. You deserve it,” added Muchova.
Drama on the court
Noskova dominated the first set with aces and winners. But in the second, after being one point away from the title, they lost five consecutive games. BBC commentator Tracy Austin described the tension:
“We know what it feels like when you start to get tense and can’t let go and then the advantage starts to crumble.”
Noskova acknowledged the lesson:
“Winning this way, having to fight for it, having all these ups and downs, it matters a lot. I have to learn a lot from this match.”
With the title, Noskova will climb to number 7 in the world ranking, her best mark. Sunday’s men’s final will pit Jannik Sinner against Alexander Zverev.
