Marketa Vondrousova became the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon in the Open era as the Czech swept to a shock 6-4, 6-4 victory over Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in Saturday’s final.
As the first unseeded woman in the Wimbledon final in 60 years, Vondrousova was a heavy underdog against sixth-ranked Jabeur.
But the 24-year-old upset the odds on Centre Court to win her maiden Grand Slam title at the second attempt after losing to Ash Barty in the 2019 French Open final.
Vondrousova joins Jana Novotna and Petra Kvitova as the only Czech women to win a Wimbledon title.
She is just the ninth unseeded champion at a Grand Slam tournament.
Vondrousova’s triumph completed a remarkable comeback after a rash of injuries stalled her promising career.
Just 12 months ago, she was an injured bystander at Wimbledon, reduced to watching her best friend Miriam Kolodziejova attempt to qualify for the main draw.
Vondrousova’s second wrist surgery had ruled her out for six months, but her absence from the tour gave her the space and time she needed to be married.
She was the second-lowest-ranked player to reach the Wimbledon final, trailing only Serena Williams (181) in 2018.
Her run was so unexpected that she told her husband Stepan Simek to stay at home in Prague and care for their cat Frankie until the final, when a pet sitter was found to allow her partner to travel to Wimbledon.