Czech youngster Linda Noskova recovered from missing five championship points to beat her friend Karolina Muchova and win an extraordinary and dramatic Wimbledon final.

Noskova looked on course for a routine victory when she led 6-2 5-2 – but crumbled with the finishing line in sight as 10th seed Muchova won five games in a row to force a decider.

However, the 21-year-old showed remarkable resilience to reset and finally clinch a 6-2 5-7 6-3 victory in the first Wimbledon final between two Czechs.

“It feels incredible. Physically and mentally it has been tough – it is never easy to get the last point,” said Noskova.

Speaking to Muchova, she added: “You made it so tough for me. I’m glad I played my first major final with you and I think we made history today.”

Noskova paid tribute to her family in her on-court speech afterwards – including her mother, Ivana, who died on the eve of Wimbledon two years ago.

“I want to thank my dad for coming here, for my family flying here – I know you don’t like flying so I appreciate it,” she said as she teared up.

“There is one more person I’d like to thank. I’d like to thank my mum. I wouldn’t be here without her.”

Noskova then blew a kiss to sky as the Centre Court crowd gave her a standing ovation.

Missed chances & blocking out noise – how Noskova recovered

Noskova’s second-set collapse was excruciating to watch for the 15,000-strong crowd on Centre Court and led to a deciding set which nobody can say they saw coming.

Competing in a first Wimbledon final is an experience unlike any other and it was intriguing to see which player would handle the occasion better – especially in the crucial opening exchanges.

While 2023 French Open runner-up Muchova had previous experience of a major final, she looked nervous as Noskova settled quicker to win the first set in 31 minutes.

Noskova played with pace and depth from the baseline to draw mistakes from Muchova, while carefully picking her moments to go for thumping winners.

She continued in the same manner in the second set – until the finishing line came into view.

Noskova could not take any of three championship points on Muchova’s serve in the eighth game, missed a fourth chance in the ninth before buckling on a seventh break point, then blew a fifth opportunity to win when Muchova again served at 5-4 down.

As the pressure increased, Noskova’s body language was telling.

She put her fingers in her ears to block out the noise of a disbelieving crowd, hid under a Wimbledon towel at a changeover, then slowly trudged off court after losing the second set.

The way In which she recovered mentally in the decider was admirable.

Serving for the title again an hour after her first attempt, Noskova hit an ace to set up a sixth championship point and, this time, converted it with a service winner.

Ninth seed Noskova immediately fell to the court as her relief poured out, with 29-year-old Muchova walking around the net to congratulate her Paris 2024 Olympics doubles partner.

As she contemplated the magnitude of her victory, and the adversity she came through to get there, Noskova hid under her towel again.

“It’s really tough to find any words, but I’ll start with Linda – my ex-friend,” joked Muchova.

“The way you handled it and the way you played was unbelievable. You deserve it.”

Noskova is the third Czech champion in the past four years at the All England Club, after victories for compatriots Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Fittingly, Noskova’s crowning glory was watched by Czech-born Martina Navratilova – a nine-time singles champion – and Petra Kvitova, who won in 2011 and 2014.

As well as lifting the iconic Venus Rosewater Dish, Noskova will receive £3.6m in prize money and move up to a new career-high ranking of seventh in the world.

Epic battle leaves close friends in tears

One of the latest in a long line of Czech talents, Noskova had been tipped as a future star who could challenge for Grand Slam titles.

She was a highly rated junior who became the youngest player inside the top 100 in 2022 and a run to the Australian Open quarter-finals in 2024 underlined her ability.

Making consistent runs at the majors had been rare, but reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon last year made her feel “comfy” on the grass when she returned this year.

Noskova set herself up for a deep run in SW19 by winning the Berlin title last month, while Muchova also claimed a grass-court title at Bad Homburg.

But both players acknowledged in their on-court interviews how difficult Wimbledon has been physically and emotionally.

Noskova had to fight back from match point down in her third-round encounter against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.

She is only the third player – after Venus Williams in 2005 and Serena Williams in 2009 – to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title from such a position.

If Muchova had completed a scarcely believable comeback, it would have been the second time this tournament she had fought back from match point down after her semi-final win over Coco Gauff.

With her natural craft and guile, Muchova has long been a player loved by fans for her unique talent.

It has felt cruel to see someone with so much ability regularly set back by a succession of injuries, with a wrist problem last year forcing her to temporarily switch to a one-handed backhand.

Perhaps because of her struggles, Muchova received a greater share of the crowd support and was also in tears as she spoke afterwards.

“I will be fighting more. I want the trophy and I hope I can reach the final again and come back and win,” she said. (BBC)

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