Edi Umoh
Linda Noskova has won her first Wimbledon title in astonishing style as the tearful Czech recovered from wasting five match points to beat Karolina Muchova in one of the most dramatic finals in All England Club history.
Noskova, seeded ninth, appeared to be on the brink of a devastating loss when she broke down in tears after squandering those match points in the second set of a Centre Court classic.
But the 21-year-old somehow regained her composure in a final on Saturday with more twists than a Hollywood blockbuster.
Summoning incredible resilience, Noskova clinched her maiden Grand Slam crown with a remarkable 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory over her 10th-seeded compatriot.
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Quite how she was able to avoid a complete meltdown in the aftermath of her mid-match collapse will go down in the annals of Wimbledon lore.
In two hours and 28 minutes of unrelenting drama, Noskova showed the heart of a champion to establish herself as the youngest woman to win Wimbledon in 15 years.
The third tour-level title of Noskova’s career emulated the success of her compatriot Petra Kvitova, who was the same age when she won the first of her two Wimbledon crowns in 2011.
It was a full circle moment for Noskova, who was inspired to take up tennis by the Wimbledon success of her childhood idol Kvitova.
Fittingly, Kvitova was watching from the royal box as Noskova celebrated her breakthrough victory.
For the third time in the last four years, a Czech woman won Wimbledon following Barbora Krejcikova in 2024 and Marketa Vondrousova in 2023.
Noskova, who banked the winner’s prize of £3.6 million ($4.8 million), has emerged as one of the rising stars of the women’s game during her remarkable run at the All England Club.
Like Kvitova, Noskova has been a quick learner on grass, having only played her first match on the surface in Birmingham in 2023.
She has won more matches on grass than any other player on the WTA Tour in the past two years.
Even so, she had never been past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam prior to arriving at Wimbledon two weeks ago.
Lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish was hard to imagine for Noskova when she faced match point against Sorana Cirstea in the third round.
Depths Of Despair
Noskova is only the third woman to win Wimbledon after saving a match point earlier in the tournament, joining Venus Williams (2005) and Serena Williams (2009).
Noskova is also the first woman since Maria Sharapova in 2004 to clinch a tour event on grass, in Berlin in June, and then win Wimbledon in the same year.
With her love of baking, penchant for lucky charms and unusual rituals — besides the piercing in her nose, she has matcha tea served by a friend every morning during the tournament — the quirky Noskova is a colourful addition to Wimbledon’s list of champions.
She has a painful Wimbledon memory — in 2024, she entered the tournament shortly after her mother had died of cancer.
Now she has a happier one to ease a little of that pain.
In the first Open era Grand Slam final between two Czech women, the pair are long-time friends, it was Noskova who took the first set with ease.
But that did not begin to tell the story to come.
Noskova wobbled spectacularly, wasting four match points and allowing Muchova to break back when she served for the match in the second set.
Putting her fingers in her ears to block out the crowd’s stunned reaction, Noskova squandered another match point as Muchova held to level at 5-5.
Noskova covered her head in a towel and appeared to wipe away tears before Muchova closed out the set.
She stormed off court before the deciding set, taking a break that proved decisive.
From the depths of despair, she broke early in the set and finally sealed her victory before collapsing to the turf in disbelief.
AFP
