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Noskova wins maiden grand slam title in rollercoaster Wimbledon final

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Linda Noskova has won her maiden grand slam title after seeing off compatriot Karolina Muchova in a thrilling final at Wimbledon.

Muchova launched a stunning second-set comeback to force a decider, but Noskova ultimately prevailed 6-2 5-7 6-3 in two and a half hours.

Noskova was in total control in the first set, with Muchova struggling to gain any rhythm after having her serve broken in the fourth game.

It took five set points to take the lead, with Muchova again unable to hold onto her serve.

And it then looked like Noskova was going to cruise to the title after holding off three break points early in the set before taking a 5-2 lead.

However, Muchova held off five championship points across the next three games to draw level at 5-5 before stretching her winning run to five in a row to take the final all the way.

The 29-year-old could not maintain that momentum as she failed to convert another three break points in the opening game of the third set.

Noskova instead reeled off the first three games, and that was enough to put her in control so that when a sixth championship point came along, she could get over the line before dropping to the floor in relief. 

Noskova shows grit and determination to lift the trophy

For a long time during the early stages of the match, it looked like Noskova was going to win it the easy way. She did it the opposite, earning an even more impressive win.

Eighteen of the last 19 women's singles finals at Wimbledon have now been won by the player claiming the opening set (Elena Rybakina the only exception in 2022), but there was a moment when Noskova looked like she might not join that list.

Instead, she is the fourth-youngest player in the Open Era to claim her maiden women's singles grand slam title at SW19 (21 years 224 days at the start of the tournament), older only than Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams and Petra Kvitova.

Only the United States (six with Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams and Serena Williams) have more different women's singles champions at Wimbledon than players representing Czechia in the Open Era (five with Jana Novotna, Kvitova, Marketa Vondrousova, Barbora Krejcikova and Noskova). 

It was always going to be a first-time winner on Centre Court on Saturday, but, for the first time in the Open Era, 10 different players have won the Wimbledon women's singles title across 10 consecutive editions.