Marketa Vondrousova, a 42nd-ranked Czech, beat sixth seed Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the Wimbledon final to become the first unseeded women’s champion in tournament history.
Vondrousova, a 24-year-old who moved to Prague alone at age 15 to train, won five games in a row from down 4-2 in the first set.
Overall, she converted six of seven break points (to Jabeur’s four of 10) while Jabeur got 48 percent of her first serves in.
Vondrousova, the first unseeded Wimbledon women’s finalist since Billie Jean King in 1963, also became the lowest-ranked women’s champion, displacing Venus Williams, who was No. 31 in 2007.
Before this run, she was 4-11 in her WTA Tour career on grass (and 1-4 at Wimbledon), but had runner-up finishes at the 2019 French Open and at the Tokyo Olympics.
In 2022, she missed the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open due to a wrist injury that required surgery. Then Nike decided not to renew her contract at the end of the year.
“After everything I’ve been through — I had a cast last year at this time — it’s amazing I can stand here and hold this,” Vondrousova, who attended last year’s Wimbledon qualifying while sidelined, said while clutching the Venus Rosewater Dish. “Tennis is crazy.”
Vondrousova, who beat five seeds in her seven matches, earned her second WTA Tour title. The other was the 2017 Ladies Open Biel Bienne in Switzerland.
Now, she joins a decorated group of Czech-born players to win Wimbledon: Martina Navratilova, Jana Novotna and Petra Kvitova. Navratilova and Kvitova are left-handed like Vondrousova.
“We have a huge history here,” Vondrousova said. “It’s crazy that now I’m one of them.”
Tunisia’s Jabeur, Wimbledon runner-up for a second consecutive year, was bidding to become the first African woman, and first Arab or North African man or woman, to win a major singles title in the Open Era. She’s already the only one to make a final, doing so three times.
“I think this is the most painful loss of my career,” Jabeur said. “I promise I come back one day and win this tournament.”
Marketa's magical moment 🏆
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 15, 2023
Marketa Vondrousova becomes the third Czech woman to win the ladies' singles title, defeating Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/AAHThI1ZYn