Marketa Vondrousova became the lowest-ranked and first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon, defeating 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday in London.
Vondrousova is a 24-year-old left-hander from the Czech Republic who is ranked 42nd. She was the first unseeded woman to even reach the final at the All England Club since Billie Jean King in 1963.
Vondrousova trailed in each set but collected the last four games of the first, then the last three games of the second.
This is her first Grand Slam title. She lost in the final of the 2019 French Open as a teenager.
Jabeur dropped to 0-3 in major finals. The 28-year-old from Tunisia is the only Arab woman and only North African woman to make it that far in singles at any Grand Slam tournament.
But she lost to Elena Rybakina at the All England Club and to No. 1 Iga Swiatek at the U.S. Open last year.
Vondrousova’s surge to the trophy was hard to envision two weeks ago.
She was 1-4 in previous appearances at Wimbledon before going 7-0 this fortnight. A year ago, Vondrousova was unable to even compete at Wimbledon, instead showing up with a cast on her surgically repaired left wrist to cheer on a friend.
Vondrousova was sidelined from April to October because of that injury and finished 2022 ranked just 99th.
De Groot captures women’s wheelchair final
Diede De Groot won her 11th consecutive Grand Slam title by beating doubles partner Jiske Griffioen 6-2, 6-1 Saturday in the women’s wheelchair singles final at Wimbledon.
De Groot has won 19 major titles overall, including five at Wimbledon. Her current winning streak in Grand Slams dates to the 2021 Australian Open and she now has a chance to secure a third straight sweep of all four majors if she wins the U.S. Open in September.
That would also tie the record of 12 straight Grand Slam wins in wheelchair singles set by Shingo Kunieda between 2007-11.
The Dutchwoman also extended her tour-level winning streak to 111 straight matches, dating to the 2021 Melbourne Wheelchair Open.
De Groot could still collect more silverware at Wimbledon as she and Griffioen competed in the wheelchair doubles final.
More Stories
Fair share: the right office solution can take finding the right partner
Ontario faces crew shortages, aircraft issues in fight against wildfires | Globalnews.ca
Refugee attends open house at Downtown Eastside affordable housing facility – BC | Globalnews.ca