07/11/26 01:11:00
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07/11 13:09 CDT Linda Noskova recovers from 2nd-set meltdown to win Wimbledon
and claim her 1st Grand Slam title
Linda Noskova recovers from 2nd-set meltdown to win Wimbledon and claim her 1st
Grand Slam title
By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer
LONDON (AP) --- Linda Noskova is the latest in a long line of Czech women to
win Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old Noskova recovered from a second-set meltdown in which she
wasted five match points to overcome Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in an
all-Czech final on Saturday for her first Grand Slam trophy.
When Noskova finally won it with a service winner on her sixth match point, she
covered her face and dropped down to the grass on her back.
"It's never easy to get the last point," Noskova said. "Karo, you really made
me work for it."
Noskova became the third Czech woman in four years to win the grass-court
major, after Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024.
Muchova and Noskova played doubles together at the 2024 Paris Olympics and
finished fourth.
"I am so glad that I could play my first Grand Slam final with you," Noskova
told Muchova during her victory speech. "We made history today. I believe that
all our Czech fans at home are proud of us, so no matter the result today I
think it was a good day for both of us."
Petra Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, was in attendance, as was
the greatest Czech-born player of them all, Martina Navratilova --- who won a
record nine singles titles at the All England Club.
Navratilova looked on from the Royal Box, where she was seated next to Kate,
the Princess of Wales, who presented the Venus Rosewater Dish trophy to Noskova.
Noskova grew emotional during her victory speech when she mentioned her mother,
who died two years ago.
"I definitely would not be standing here without her, so thank you," said
Noskova, who then looked up and blew a kiss to the sky.
As Noskova spoke of her late mother, Navratilova wiped away tears.
In the men's final on Sunday, top-ranked Jannik Sinner will attempt to defend
his title against French Open champion Alexander Zverev.
Wasted chances
Noskova led 5-2 in the second set before she lost five straight games to send
it to a third.
When Noskova wasted a chance to serve it out at 5-3 in the second, she placed
fingers in both ears to drown out the crowd noise on the changeover. Then she
draped one of Wimbledon's strawberry-red towels over her head after she dropped
her serve again to give Muchova a 6-5 lead and a chance for her opponent to
serve it out --- which Muchova did.
It's Noskova's second grass title of the season after beating Jessica Pegula in
the Berlin Open final three weeks ago.
But as this match displayed, it hasn't been all straightforward. Noskova saved
a match point in the third set of her third-round match against Sorana Cirstea.
The 12th-ranked Noskova will climb to No. 7 --- a new career-high --- when the
next rankings are released on Monday.
Jana Novotna, one of Noskova's first coaches, also won Wimbledon (in 1998).
Now Noskova is the youngest woman to win Wimbledon since Kvitova was also 21 in
2011.
And it marks the second consecutive Grand Slam won by a player 21 or younger
after Mirra Andreeva claimed the French Open at 19 last month. It's the first
time that's happened for Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year since
Justine Henin and Serena Williams, respectively, claimed those titles in 2003.
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AP Sports Writer Ken Maguire contributed.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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