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Marketa Vondrousova beats Elina Svitolina to reach first Wimbledon final

Marketa Vondrousova reached her first Wimbledon final after surviving a scare to beat Elina Svitolina 6-3 6-3.

The unseeded Czech player, who had not previously made it past the second round at the All England Club, broke Svitolina’s serve three times in a dominant first-set display.

Vondrousova raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set, only for her Ukrainian opponent — backed by the Centre Court crowd — to break back and briefly shift the momentum.

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But a double fault helped the 2019 French Open finalist reclaim the advantage at 5-3 and she duly served out the contest to boost hopes of a first grand slam title.

Vondrousova, who defeated American Jessica Pegula in the last eight, is the first unseeded player to reach the women’s final at Wimbledon since Billie Jean King in 1963.

She will play last year’s runner-up, Ons Jabeur, or Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s final.

Vondrousova, who missed six months in 2022 due to wrist surgery, said after victory: “I cannot believe it. I’m just very happy that I made the final game, it was very tough.

“She’s such a fighter and she’s also such a great person. I was crazy nervous. I was nervous the whole match. I was leading 4-0 in the second set and she came back. You have to stay focused and try to fight for every game.”

Svitolina had mounted her own surprise charge at the tournament, just nine months after giving birth.

The wildcard world No 76, who had vowed to try and “bring a little happiness” to her war-torn homeland, had beaten top seed Iga Swiatek en route to the semi-finals.

Her fearless brand of tennis had also ousted three other major champions in Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin and Victoria Azarenka.

But a series of unforced errors while Vondrousova mixed big baseline shots and lobs meant her inspiring run finally came to an end.

Svitolina thanked the Wimbledon crowd for its support and said she hoped her campaign would have a positive impact.

“(The support) feels unbelievable. I’m really thankful for the crowd to support me, be there for me, and all Ukrainian people as well.”

“My family was watching. A lot of people, as well, in Ukraine. I’m really happy that it was actually live in Ukraine because it took some years to actually make this happen for Ukrainian people.

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“I think it’s really important for kids to watch tennis and other sports as well, to have something different in their life, for them to set their dreams, to set their goals.”

Asked what message she hoped her run to the semi-finals might send, she added: “To believe in yourself. In different situations, you always need to find the way to fight for your dream.”

(Photo: Getty Images)

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