Fri. Nov 22nd, 2024
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Unseeded Marketa Vondrousova’s historic Wimbledon run has culminated with the Czechia underdog claiming the singles championship.

The left-hander stunned Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-4 to win the Wimbledon women’s singles final on Saturday.

The 24-year-old became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title in the professional era, leaving sixth seed Jabeur as the runner-up for the second successive year.

She was the first unseeded woman to make the final since Billie Jean King in 1963.

Action shot of Marketa Vondrousova running and hitting a tennis ball
Markéta Vondroušová has battled through many injuries over her career, but is now Wimbledon singles champion. (Reuters: Dylan Martinez)

Vondrousova trailed in each set but collected the last four games of the first, then the last three games of the second.

The victory is her first grand slam title in her second final.

Vondrousova made the French Open final as a teenager in 2019, losing to Australian Ash Barty.

Jabeur was bidding to become the first Arab player to win a grand slam title and the first African woman to win one of the four majors.

Close up of Ons Jabeur hitting a tennis ball with a focused expression

Ons Jabeur is the first Arab or North African woman to participate in a grand slam singles final. (Reuters: Dylan Martinez)

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.

She has now lost all three major finals she has competed in, falling to Elena Rybakina at the All England Club and Iga Swiatek at the US Open last year.

“This is the most painful loss of my career,” she said as she fought back tears.

Reuters/AP

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