Linda Noskova defeated Marta Kostyuk to set an all-Czech final at Wimbledon.
The Wimbledon women’s singles final will be an all-Czech affair.
Linda Noskova joined Karolina Muchova in the final with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk. The 21-year-old, who saved a match point in her third round win over Sorana Cirstea, is into her first major final.
“A semifinal at a grand Slam is never easy, no matter who you play, where you play, or what’s the score?” the No.9 seed said after the win. “So I just tried to be as patient as possible, tried to keep cool and somehow get the last point, I guess.”
Noskova served brilliantly in the contest, winning 32 of 43 first-serve points and 11 of 19 second serve points. She also won 15 of 18 points at the net to hit the finish line in one hour and 19 minutes.
“For me, it’s always just a focus on myself, to focus on my game,” she said. “When I play my best, I know that I can play with the best players in the world and have a great result, which is a final at a Grand Slam, I guess.”
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Noskova, who lost to Muchova in their only previous meeting, in three sets in the third round of last year’s US Open, has won 11 of 12 grass court matches this summer. She tuned up for Wimbledon by winning the Berlin title, where she defeated Jessica Pegula in the final.
Her 18 grass court wins since the start of last year are more than any other WTA player in that span.
Muchova or Noskova will become the latest in a long line of Czech women’s singles champions at Wimbledon that includes Martina Navratilova, Jana Novotna, Petra Kvitova, Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova.
Three of the last four women’s singles champions hail from Czechia.
“I was not watching a lot of tennis as a kid, but one thing I do remember is when Petra Kvitova won her Grand Slam here,” Noskova said. “That was maybe one of the first moments when I realized that such a sport as tennis exists. I am kind of still in shock that I had a chance in my life to play on such a court.”
Asked what she thought of the atmosphere on her Centre Court debut, the 21-year-old said “Not so bad,” with a smile on her face.
Earlier on Thursday Karolina Muchova saved a match point to defeat Coco Gauff in a match tiebreak. The talented 29-year-old had lost her last five Wimbledon matches prior to this year’s run. She’s into her second major final and first since 2023 at Roland Garros.
“Karolina, he is such a great fighter, such an incredible player. But mainly, and mostly, she’s a great person. So I am glad I get to play my first final with her,” Noskova said.
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Chris Oddo. Chris Oddo is a freelance sportswriter, podcaster, blogger and social media marker who is a lead contributor to Tennisnow.com. He also writes for USOpen.org, Rolandgarros.com, BNPParibasOpen.com, TennisTV.com, WTAtennis.com and the official US Open program.