Wimbledon: Unseeded Vondrousova Stuns Tunisian Jabeur To Win Title
Czech tennis player Marketa Vondrousova stunned Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur to claim a surprise 6-4 6-4 victory on Saturday to become the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title.
With the Centre Court roof shut because of high winds and the threat of rain showers, Jabeur initially looked comfortable as she won the opening two games of the showpiece. But world number 42 Vondrousova, settled down and began to draw errors from her opponent.
Jabeur responded again to lead 4-2 but then seemed consumed by nerves as mistakes flowed from her racket and she dropped five successive games to lose the opening set.
Vondrousova led 1-0 and 40-0 in the second set and appeared to be marching to victory as Jabeur fell apart. But suddenly the Tunisian loosened her shoulders and found her range to seize back control.
It looked as though Jabeur was getting on top as she won three games in a row. The Tunisian had given herself a glimmer of hope in a bid to turn the game around.
However, Vondrousova never panicked. The Czech got back to 3-3 and as Jabeur’s errors returned with a vengeance, she broke serve at 4-4 to stand one game away from the title.
Reaching 40-0, she squandered her first match point with a double fault but put away a volley to claim the title at the second time of asking, appearing in disbelief.
Marketa’s magical moment 🏆
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
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 15, 2023
“I don’t know what’s happening right now,” Vondrousova said on court after receiving the Venus Rosewater Dish from Britain’s Princess of Wales.
“This time last year I had a cast on so it’s amazing that I can now stand here and hold this, it’s crazy. I don’t know how I’ve done it.”
The crowning moment 🏆#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/bSF4TXJIYx
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 15, 2023
Vondrousova beat four seeds during the tournament on her way to claiming the title, including number four Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals and Ukraine’s crowd favourite Elina Svitolina in the semis.
For Jabeur, it was another runner up trophy. She was beaten by Elena Rybakina in the Wimbledon final last year and by Iga Swiatek in the 2022 US Open final. She was bidding to become the first African woman to win a Grand Slam title. However, the 24-year-old Vondrousova proved too strong for Jabeur.
“This is the most painful loss of my career,” Jabeur said as she fought back tears. “Today is going to be a tough day for me but I’m not going to give up and I am going to come back stronger.”
“It’s been a tough journey but I promise I will come back and one day win this tournament.”
Vondrousova, the first player to reach two Grand Slam finals as a non seed having contested the 2019 French Open decider, also became the fourth Czech-born player to win the title in the professional era after Martina Navratilova, Jana Novotna and Petra Kvitova.
