Wimbledon 2023: Vondrousova Takes Svitolina By Surprise To Qualify For Her Second Grand Slam Final

Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic became the first unseeded player in 60 years to reach the Wimbledon women’s final on Thursday, crushing the title dreams of Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.

World number 42 Vondrousova came through 6-3, 6-3 and will face either second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus or last year’s runner-up Ons Jabeur for the title on Saturday.

Should Australian Open champion Sabalenka make it through, she will replace Iga Swiatek as the new world number one.

World number 76 Svitolina, who only returned to the sport from maternity leave in April, dropped serve three times in the opening set, but she managed to retrieve the first to level at 3-3 before the Czech broke again in the seventh and ninth games to edge ahead in the tie.

The second set though was off to an even worse start for an error-plagued Svitolina, who quickly fell 4-0 down.

However, Vondrousova, who had seen off four seeded players to reach the semi-finals, suddenly suffered mid-set jitters as she handed back the breaks to allow Svitolina to pull to 3-4.

Svitolina then undid all her hard work to be broken again in the eighth game before pushing a forehand long to hand her opponent a place in the final.

Left-hander Vondrousova will be playing in her second Grand Slam final after finishing runner-up at the 2019 French Open.

“I cannot believe it. I am very happy that I made the final. Elina is such a fighter and a great person,” said the Czech.

“I was crazy nervous. I was leading 4-0 in the second set and she fought back.”

Reaching the final comes after a miserable time for the Czech — she underwent a second surgery on her wrist last year, which ruled her out for most of 2022.

“I didn’t play for six months last year and you never know if you can be at that level again,” she said. “I’m so happy to be back out here.”