Wimbledon: Unseeded Marketa Vondrousova defeats Ons Jabeur to win first Grand Slam title

Marketa Vondrousova became the first unseeded Wimbledon champion in the Open Era after upsetting Ons Jabeur in Saturday’s straight-sets final.

A year ago, Marketa Vondrousova was a spectator at the All England Club, a cast on her left wrist. On Saturday, she hoisted the Venus Rosewater Dish as the champion.

Vondrousova defeated No.6 seed Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 to become the first unseeded Wimbledon champion of the Open Era, and the second ever after Billie Jean King in 1963. It was over in a crisp 80 minutes.

“I don’t really know what’s happening right now,” a still-breathless Vondrousova told the Centre Court crowd. “It’s an amazing feeling. I had a cast last year this time. This is amazing I can stand here.

“Tennis is crazy.”

Martina Navratilova, beaming in the Royal Box, saw yet another left-hander from the Czech Republic capture the Wimbledon title, following herself (nine) and Petra Kvitova (two).

When the Princess of Wales, wearing a stylish lime dress, awarded the sterling runner-up dish to Jabeur, sobbing, she covered her eyes. It was reminiscent of 30 years ago, when Jana Novotna shed tears on the Duchess of Kent’s shoulder after she lost the final to Stefanie Graf.

For 24-year-old Vondrousova, ranked No.42 among Hologic WTA Tour players, it was her first Grand Slam singles title after reaching the final at Roland Garros in 2019. It was her third win of the season over Jabeur.

With the title, Vondrousova is projected to make her Top 10 debut, at World No.10, in Monday’s new rankings.

Jabeur, meanwhile, lost for the third time in a major final, all in the past year.

“This is very, very tough,” Jabeur said. “I think this is the most painful loss of my career.”

A year ago, Jabeur lost the Wimbledon final to Elena Rybakina and the US Open final to Iga Swiatek. Those defeats weighed heavily on her, and you could see the determination in her face, jaw set, eyes fierce, as she rolled through a loaded draw here.

Jabeur defeated four Grand Slam singles champions in order on the way to the final — Bianca Andreescu, Petra Kvitova, Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka. The last three were Top 10 players, all big hitters, and Jabeur was able to deflect their power with a nimble defense and an array of slices and drop shots.

But Vondrousova was a different kind of player, like Jabeur, a disruptor. A player who thrives by killing opponents softly.

Jabeur was eager to start the match, perhaps too eager. She arrived at the appointed spot in Centre Court eight minutes before the walk-on. While she fiddled with her hands and listened to music, Vondrousova, working her phone, seemed oblivious to the occasion before her.

Clearly a little out of sorts, Jabeur made some uncharacteristic errors, but when she broke Vondrousova — at love — she found herself with a 4-2 lead.

That was when it all came crashing down; Vondrousova won 16 of the next 18 points and four straight games to take the first set. Jabeur served poorly and was broken three times. Vondrousova, playing with patience, absorbed 11 winners by Jabeur — but there were also a lethal 15 unforced errors.

Jabeur rallied, as she has the entire fortnight, breaking Vondrousova and racing out to a 3-1 lead. But the Czech, playing more terrific defense, immediately got it back on serve.

The deal-breaker was the ninth game. Vondrousova, playing close to the baseline and taking the ball early, forced the issue. She was rewarded with two loose forehands from Jabeur to lead 5-4, then served out the match.