Vondrousova beats wayward Jabeur to lift first Wimbledon crown
Marketa Vondrousova upset the form book on Saturday to beat the sixth seed Ons Jabeur and lift the women's singles title at Wimbledon.
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The 24-year-old, who became the first unseeded woman to claim the crown since professionals were allowed to compete at the tournament in 1968, won 6-4, 6-4 on Centre Court.
The 80-minute victory capped a remarkable comeback for the Czech. Last year she was wearing a cast as she recovered from surgery on her left wrist and came to London to watch her doubles partner play in the Wimbledon qualifying tournament.
"It's amazing that I can stand here holding this trophy," said a still overwhelmed Vondrousova after she was presented, as women's champion, with the Venus Rosewater Dish.
"I'll celebrate with a beer," she joked. "It's been an exhausting two weeks."
Prize
A winner's cheque for just over 2.3 million euros should assist the recuperation for a player who experienced Grand Slam heartbreak when she lost in the 2019 French Open final to Ashleigh Barty.
And during the early stages of the 2023 Wimbledon final, a similar outcome appeared to be looming.
Jabeur, seeking to become the first African woman to win the singles title, got the dream start.
She took Vondrousova's opening service game to lead 2-0 but could not consolidate as Vondrousova started hustling an opponent who had eliminated the defending champion Elena Rybakina and the second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively.
Vondrousova, instead of trailing 0-3, was in touch at 1-2 and she levelled.
But Jaber pulled away again for 4-2.
Blockage
But Jabeur, racking up the direct faults, could not exploit the advantage to go to 5-2. Vondrousova recovered to 4-4 and won the next two games to take the opener 6-4 after 41 minutes.
Another disastrous service game at the start of the second set offered Vondrousova the break but Jabeur went on a three game roll to take control of the set and offer the 15,000 spectators the prospect of Wimbledon classic.
But the 28-year-old Tunisian relinquished her advantage.
She cracked again in the ninth game leaving the world number 43 with the opportunity to serve for glory.
For a grass court encounter graced by so few points at the net, at least Vondrousova evoked the golden age of the tournament with a backhand volley to conclude the match.
"The most painful loss of my career," rued Jabeur after receiving the runners-up trophy for a second consecutive year." Thirty-one unforced errors vindicated her analysis.
For Vondrousova, a fairy tale way to prepare for her first wedding anniversary on Sunday.
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