Linda Nosková, the 21-year-old, recovered from missing five championship points to defeat Karolina Muchova in the dramatic Wimbledon final.
It looked like Nosková was about to win when she was leading by 6-2, 5-2, but she faltered as Muchova won five straight games to force a decider. But she displayed resilience to make a comeback and clinch a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory and win a maiden Grand Slam title.
“It feels incredible. Physically and mentally, it has been tough – it is never easy to get the last point,” said Noskova. Speaking to Muchova, she added: “You made it so tough for me. I’m glad I played my first major final with you, and I think we made history today.”
The 21-year-old’s second-set collapse wasn’t easy to watch, and no one could say they saw a deciding set coming. She played with pace and depth from the baseline to try and draw out mistakes from Muchova, and carefully picked her moments to go for winners.
Nosková continued in the same manner in the second set — until the winning line was just a few steps away. She couldn’t take any of the three championship points on Karolina’s serve in the eighth game, missed a fourth chance in the ninth before buckling on a seventh break point, and then blew a fifth opportunity to win when Muchova again served at 5-4 down.
As the stakes of the moment increased, the youngster’s body language was telling. She put her fingers in her ears to block out the noise, hid under the Wimbledon towel during a changeover, and then slowly trudged off the court after the second-set defeat.
But what’s commendable is how Nosková recovered during the decider; she hit an ace to set up a sixth championship point and, this time, converted it with a service winner.
It was a hard-fought win for the 21-year-old, as her friend and fellow compatriot, Muchova, gave her a tough fight.
Nosková also paid tribute to her family during the on-court speech, including her mother, Ivana, who passed away on the eve of Wimbledon two years ago. “I want to thank my dad for coming here, for my family flying here – I know you don’t like flying, so I appreciate it,” she said as she teared up.
“There is one more person I’d like to thank. I’d like to thank my mum. I wouldn’t be here without her.” Noskova then blew a kiss towards the sky as the Centre Court crowd gave her a standing ovation.
Karolina, on the other hand, said she’d need a few days to overcome her second Grand Slam final defeat, but vowed to keep fighting for her maiden major title.
Muchova saved five match points as she fought back from 5-2 down in the second set, but couldn’t avoid the defeat. It was her second time experiencing heartbreak after the 2023 French Open final loss to Iga Swiatek.
“It’ll definitely take me a few days (to overcome the loss). But again, I was in the final. It’s still a great achievement. It’s still something I’d take before the tournament,” Muchova told reporters. “I think my game is good. I’m improving. So, I feel good on the courts. Yeah, it’s a dream of mine; it’s a goal of mine to lift that Grand Slam trophy. This is a setback, but also a motivation.”
Muchova said she was determined to fight for her survival as she stood a point away from defeat, not once, but five times during the dramatic second set. “This tournament matters to me. I’m like, ‘Okay, I don’t want to lose 6-2, 6-2. I’m going to do everything to break her serve and keep mine.’ I was still believing that I could turn it around. So, that was in my head.”
Karolina came into the final after having saved a match point in her semi-final duel against Coco Gauff, which went to three sets and ended in a hard-fought tie-break that she won 12-10.
“It was a pretty tough match. I definitely felt it physically. I was a little more tired after that match with Coco,” she said. “I didn’t want to think of it. I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to give it my all.’ I think maybe that, definitely. The nerves as well. I really wanted to win today.
“Maybe it tied my hands a little bit today from the start.” Karolina went on to describe Linda as a “calm fighter” in big moments and said Linda proved to be too good on the day. “She’ll go after every point; she’ll fight for every point, so she’s really competitive. It’s definitely tough to play her on any surface,” Muchova said.
“I think I started really slow today. On the other hand, Linda started really strong, with really good serving games. She played fast. It took a lot of power and strength out of me to get back in that second set. I gave it my all. The people were cheering. I felt the support. I felt the momentum in the second set, so I knew I could turn it around. It was definitely nice that it happened. Unfortunately, at the start of the third, it slipped through my fingers.”
