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Marketa Vondrousova became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title as Ons Jabeur’s wait for a major goes on.
Vondrousova, 24, is ranked 42nd in the world after missing six months of last season with a wrist injury.
But the Czech handled the nerves of the occasion better than 2022 runner-up Jabeur to win Saturday’s final 6-4 6-4.
Sixth seed Jabeur, 28, has now lost all three major finals she has played in and was in tears at the end.
Vondrousova, who came to Wimbledon as a fan last year wearing a cast after wrist surgery, fell flat on her back as the magnitude of what she had achieved sunk in.
“I don’t know what is happening – it is an amazing feeling,” said Vondrousova, who beat five seeded players to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.
After sharing a warm embrace with Jabeur at the net, she knelt on the grass again and looked close to tears as she drew the acclaim of the Centre Court crowd.
Then, as is tradition these days, she clambered up to the players’ box to hug her team and family – including husband Stepan, who arrived in London to watch the final after previously staying at home in Prague to look after their pet cat.
By contrast, Jabeur looked heartbroken as she sat on her chair with her head bowed.
“This is very, very tough. The most painful loss of my career,” said Jabeur, who had been aiming to be the first African or Arab woman to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Nerves get better of Jabeur
History was at stake for both players, but particularly for Jabeur, who has become a trailblazer for African and Arab women.
But the Tunisian, who was the pre-match favourite, looked overwhelmed by the weight of expectation.
While both players managed beaming smiles for the camera as they posed for the traditional pre-match photograph, the nerves associated with playing in a Wimbledon final quickly became apparent.
Jabeur seemed more stressed than her opponent in a tense opening set, even after she took an early break to lead 2-0.
She stayed rooted to the baseline as she looked to find rhythm, rarely employing her favoured drop-shot and was broken straight back for 2-1.
Three successive breaks of serve – in favour of Vondrousova – were indicative of the tension that remained on both sides of the net, but particularly for Jabeur, who saw a 4-2 advantage…
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