Marketa Vondrousova defeats Ons Jabeur to win Wimbledon women’s championship

Associated Press
Saturday, July 15, 2023 10:41 a.m. | Saturday, July 15, 2023 10:41 a.m.

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Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova hits a shot Saturday against Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur during the women’s singles final at Wimbledon in London.

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Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur looks on after putting a shot into the net Saturday against Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova during the women’s singles final at Wimbledon in London.

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Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur (right) plays Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova in Saturday’s final of the women’s singles final at Wimbledon in London.

WIMBLEDON, England — Marketa Vondrousova became the lowest-ranked and first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon, defeating 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday.

Vondrousova is a 24-year-old left-hander from the Czech Republic who is ranked 42nd. She was the first unseeded woman to even reach the final at the All England Club in 60 years.

Vondrousova trailed in each set but collected the last four games of the first, then the last three games of the second.

This is her first Grand Slam title. She lost in the final of the 2019 French Open as a teenager.

Jabeur dropped to 0-3 in major finals. The 28-year-old from Tunisia is the only Arab woman and only North African woman to make it that far in singles at any Grand Slam tournament.

But she lost to Elena Rybakina at the All England Club and to No. 1 Iga Swiatek at the U.S. Open last year.

Vondrousova’s surge to the trophy was hard to envision two weeks ago.

She was 1-4 in previous appearances at Wimbledon before going 7-0 this fortnight. A year ago, Vondrousova was unable to even compete at Wimbledon, instead showing up with a cast on her surgically repaired left wrist to cheer on a friend.

Vondrousova was sidelined from April to October because of that injury and finished 2022 ranked just 99th.