July 15 (UPI) — Marketa Vondrousova ran to the net and punched a quick return, beating an exhausted Ons Jabeur for a straight-sets victory and her first Grand Slam title in the Wimbledon 2023 women’s final Saturday in London.
Vondrousova did not log an ace but totaled just 13 unforced errors and converted 6 of 7 break point opportunities in the 6-4, 6-4 win at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.
“I had a [wrist] cast last year at this time,” Vondrousova said on the ESPN broadcast. “This is amazing to stand here and hold this [trophy]. Tennis is crazy. .. It was exhausting, but I’m just so grateful and proud of myself.”
Jabeur, the No. 6 player in the WTA Tour singles rankings, totaled one ace and 25 winners. The Tunisian also logged 31 unforced errors and converted 4 of 10 break points in the 1-hour, 20-minute match.
“This is very tough,” Jabeur said. “This is the most painful loss of my career, [but] I’m going to come back and win a Grand Slam one day.”
Vondrousova became just the third unseeded player to win Wimbledon. She entered the match as the No. 42 player in the world and is expected to rise to No. 10 on Monday.
No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain will battle No. 2 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the Wimbledon 2023 men’s singles final at 7 a.m. MDT Sunday.
Jabeur held serve to start the match, then broke her Czech foe for a 2-0 lead. Vondrousova broke Jabeur back in the third game, then held serve to tie the match.
Jabeur responded by holding serve and breaking Vondrousova for a second time to go up 4-2.
Vondrousova then answered again, breaking Jabeur twice and holding twice over the final four games to win the first set.
Vondrousova broke Jabeur for a third-consecutive time to start the second set. The point provided her with her fifth-consecutive game victory.
Jabeur then snatched back momentum, breaking Jabeur in the next game. She held serve to take a 2-1 in the third and broke Vondrousova in the fourth for a 3-1 edge.
Vondrousova answered by breaking Jabeur twice and holding twice over the next five games, taking a 5-4 lead and earning a chance to serve for match point.
She then went up 40-0 before a double fault. She then sent Jabeur deep to her right to fetch the ball for a return.
Vondrousova took advantage of the open space created by the shot to send back her quick return. She then collapsed to the court in celebration of the triumph.
The 2023 U.S. Open is the final Grand Slam on the tennis schedule. That tournament will run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 10 in Flushing, N.Y.
