- Marketa Vondrousova (WTA 42) beats Ons Jabeur (WTA 6) 6: 4, 6: 4 in the Wimbledon final and wins the title in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
- The Czech is the first unseeded player in the “Open Era” to be crowned the winner on the “holy turf”.
- Jabeur also loses her third major final and must continue to wait for a triumph at a Grand Slam tournament.
Marketa Vondrousova missed her first opportunity for the greatest triumph of her career with a double fault. But a few moments later, the Czech took her second chance with a volley at the net. Overjoyed, the 24-year-old sank onto the “sacred lawn” of Center Court. Vondrousova was at the goal of her dreams.
The Olympic silver medalist (lost to Belinda Bencic in 2021) is a sensational winner. Vondrousova had never progressed past the 2nd round at Wimbledon and entered the tournament as world No. 42 and an unseeded player. The Czech threw five seeded players out of the tableau – including Jessica Pegula (WTA 4) in the quarter-finals and now two top 10 players, Jabeur.
For Vondrousova, success is also the reward for her fighting spirit: Since reaching the French Open final in 2019 as a 19-year-old, she has repeatedly struggled with injuries and has never made it past the round of 16 at Grand Slam tournaments.
Made the immediate rebreak three times
Vondrousova also showed fighting spirit in the final against Jabeur. In the 1st set she managed the immediate rebreak twice after losing serve (after 0:2 and 2:4). And in the 2nd set she managed the feat again (after 1:3). From 2:4 in the opening set to 1:0 in the second round, Vondrousova won no fewer than five games in a row.
These rebreaks were also favored by Jabeur, who never seemed to feel really comfortable on the court. The Tunisian made simple mistakes again and again. Above all, being ahead, Jabeur could not maintain their level. The 28-year-old had won the match three times during the tournament after losing the starting set, but she didn’t want to succeed against Vondrousova.
Jabeur: “The most painful defeat of my career”
Jabeur has to wait for her first triumph in a Grand Slam tournament. She has lost all three of her major finals with Wimbledon 2022, the US Open 2022 and Wimbledon 2023. “It’s the most painful defeat of my career,” said Jabeur in tears, but promised her team: “One day we’ll win such a title.”