Wimbledon: Vondrousova beats Svitolina to make second Grand Slam final

Marketa Vondrousova became the first unseeded Wimbledon finalist in the Open Era, holding off a second-set surge by Elina Svitolina in the semifinals.

Marketa Vondrousova made a triumphant trip into her second career Grand Slam final with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Elina Svitolina in the Wimbledon semifinals on Thursday.

In the all-unseeded affair, Czech lefty Vondrousova took 1 hour and 15 minutes to defeat Ukraine’s Svitolina, who was playing only her second Grand Slam event since her return from maternity leave in April.

Vondrousova had to fend off a second-set comeback by Svitolina to collect the win and level their head-to-head at three wins apiece. Svitolina rebounded from 4-0 to 4-3 before Vondrousova regrouped to take the final two games of the match.

Vondrousova awaits the winner of the second semifinal between No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka and No.6 seed Ons Jabeur.

Sabalenka leads Vondrousova 4-2 in their head-to-head. Vondrousova and Jabeur are tied 3-3 in their head-to-head, but Vondrousova has beaten Jabeur in both of their meetings this year.

World No.42 Vondrousova was also unseeded when she made her previous Grand Slam final as a 19-year-old at 2019 Roland Garros, where she finished runner-up to Ashleigh Barty.

By reaching another Grand Slam final as an unseeded player, 24-year-old Vondrousova becomes the first unseeded Wimbledon finalist in the Open Era (since 1968).

Vondrousova is the fourth Czech woman to reach the Wimbledon final, joining Jana Novotna, Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova. She is also the sixth left-hander to make it this far.

Vondrousova is the fourth Czech woman to reach the Wimbledon final, joining Jana Novotna, Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova. She is also the sixth left-hander to make it this far.

Vondrousova rose to a career-high ranking of No.14 shortly after her 2019 Roland Garros final, and she won the silver medal in singles at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but she has seen her career consistency hampered by frequent injuries. She missed six months of action last year alone, due to a wrist injury.

But the Czech has always been a dangerous opponent, and she demonstrated her peak form during this event. Before her win over Svitolina, Vondrousova beat four seeded players in a row to make the semifinal: No.12 Veronika Kudermetova, No.20 Donna Vekic, No.32 Marie Bouzkova, and No.4 Jessica Pegula.

Prior to this tournament, Vondrousova had not posted impressive results on grass, with a 4-11 career win-loss record on the surface. But her effective left-handed service placement and her variety, epitomized by her excellent drop shots, served her well during a breakthrough fortnight.