Britain’s Princess Kate presents the championship trophy to Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Linda Noskova won her first Grand Slam title after defeating her Czech compatriot Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon on Saturday. The 21-year-old appeared to be in complete control of the match before he collapsed dramatically in the second set, but he recovered strongly in the deciding set to lift the trophy.
After clinching the victory on her sixth match point, Noskova fell to the grass in celebration.
Noskova dominated the first set and was on the verge of victory after leading 5-2 in the second set. However, she wasted five match points as Muchova battled back to win five games in a row and force a deciding set. During the tense period, Noskova tried to keep the crowd away by putting her fingers in her ears and then covering her head with a towel after losing another serve.The youngster regrouped brilliantly in the final set to claim her first Wimbledon title. This is also her second grass-court title this season, after winning the Berlin Open a few weeks ago.
Noskova became the third Czech woman to win Wimbledon in four years, after Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024. Czech legends Petra Kvitova and Martina Navratilova were present on Center Court, with Navratilova watching from the royal box before the Princess of Wales presented the trophy.
A win will lift Noskova to seventh in the world when the new rankings are released. At 21 years old, she is also the youngest Wimbledon women’s champion since Kvitova won the title at the same age in 2011. Her victory follows 19-year-old Mira Andreeva’s success at the French Open, marking the first time since 2003 that players aged 21 or under have won both Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.