
Noskova says Czech success at Wimbledon a 'tradition' ahead of Muchova showdown
Linda Noskova described Czech players succeeding in the women's singles at Wimbledon as a "tradition" after teeing up a showpiece clash with compatriot Karolina Muchova.
After seeing Muchova outlast Coco Gauff in a three-set thriller in Thursday's first semi-final on Centre Court, Noskova overcame Marta Kostyuk 6-4 6-4.
Saturday's final will be Noskova's first at a grand slam, having never previously gone beyond the last eight at a major. She is the fourth player to reach her first grand slam showpiece at Wimbledon since 2020, after Elena Rybakina, Ons Jabeur and Amanda Anisimova.
It will be the first time that two players representing the same country have met in the women's singles final at Wimbledon since 2009, when Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus.
Other than the United States, the only other instance of two players from the same country facing off in the Wimbledon women's singles final in the Open Era came in 1971, between Australian duo Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Margaret Court.
That means that whatever the result, there is guaranteed to be a third different Czech winner of the women's singles crown in four years, after Marketa Vondrousova triumphed in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova followed in her footsteps in 2024.
Asked about Czech players' success at the All England Club, Noskova said: "It's a tradition at this point!
"We are all brought up in the same way in Czechia, in our game styles, in our tennis, but we are very different. We are very creative.
"Grass allows us to use any side of tennis, whether it's serve and volley, like the old days, or whether it's slices and volleys in this new era.
"For me, the plan is always just to focus on myself and to focus on my game. 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."
2009 - Two players representing the same nation (Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova) will face each other in the Women’s Singles final in Wimbledon for the first time since 2009 (Serena and Venus Williams). Clash.#Wimbledon | @Wimbledon @WTA pic.twitter.com/TkyqRDb5YM
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) July 9, 2026
Kostyuk only generated one break point throughout the contest, which she took while already a break down in the second set.
Noskova committed 17 unforced errors to just six aces, compared to Kostyuk hitting 22 of each, but the Czech won 74% of her first-serve points (32/43) and 58% on second serve (11/19).
And Kostyuk felt there was little she could do against her opponent's serve, saying: "Her serve quality was 9.5 out of 10. It doesn't get better than this.
"I know I'm a good returner, but there was not much I could do today. I broke her once, but generally I didn't even come close to break points."











