John Walton/Press Association/AP
Markéta Vondroušová has reached the second Grand Slam final of her career.
CNN
—
Markéta Vondroušová reached her first Wimbledon The final after a brilliant performance against the Ukrainian team Elena SvitolinaWon 6-3 6-3 in one hour and 14 minutes.
The 24-year-old Czech star was the first unseeded woman to reach a Wimbledon final in the Open era, and her exquisitely varied game was too much for Svitolina to handle.
Vondrousova faces world no.1. 6 oz Jabeer after the Tunisian topped the final. 2nd seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-7(5) 6-4 6-3
It was an inspired performance from Vondrousova, who rose to the occasion on center court and got the better of her opponent with a powerful combination of pace, spin and power to reach the second Grand Slam final of her career.
There was no fairytale ending to Svitolina’s dream run at SW19, but the Ukrainian will no doubt hold her head high after inspiring her compatriots around the world.
“I can’t believe it, I’m so happy that I reached the final against Elena, she’s a fighter and a great person, it was a tough match,” Vondrousova said in her on-court interview. “I am very happy.
“I was crazy nervous, I was nervous the whole match. I was leading 4-0. [in the second set] She came back and broke me twice so I had to focus and try to fight for every game, I am grateful to you and your amazing support.
“I didn’t play for six months last year. You never know if you can be at that level again, so I’m grateful to be healthy here. I was watching Qwalis with the cast last year, so it’s a change but I’m very grateful.
Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
Elina Svitolina dreamed of playing at Wimbledon six months after the birth of her daughter.
After reaching the French Open final in 2019 as a 20-year-old, Vondrousova was poised to become a force at the top of the women’s game. However, injuries halted his progress and surgery in 2022 forced him to miss three of the year’s four Grand Slams as his ranking dropped out of the top 120 in the world.
One of Vondroušová’s many tattoos – she told Czech media she has lost count of how many she has – says “no rain, no flowers”, and the world number 42 endured her fair share of dark skies.
Notably, Vondroušová doesn’t even have an official clothing sponsor – that’s likely to change by the end of the week.
After trailing 4-0 in the second set, Svitolina showed all the resilience and grit shown during her incredible run at SW19.
Svitolina, who began her fortnight with a straight sets victory over Venus Williams in the first round, returned to the tour three months ago after giving birth to her daughter Ska Monfils in October.
Currently ranked 76th in the world, she has been given a wild card to compete at Wimbledon this year and her incredible run includes victories over four Grand Slam champions Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka and Ika Svitek.
Adam Davey/Press Association/AP
Markéta Vondroušová rose to the occasion on center court.
Svitolina’s run at The All England Lawn Tennis Club was matched by her semi-final appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2019, equaling her best performance at a Grand Slam, but she could not go one better and reach her first major final as Vondrusova found her. Overcome his opponent once more and then serve for the match.
