Noskova wins Wimbledon after epic comeback, thanks late mother

Linda Noskova survived five championship points, then finished off Karolina Muchova on a sixth chance to win the Wimbledon women’s singles final 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 on Centre Court. The all-Czech final lasted just under two and a half hours and ended with Noskova sealing her maiden Grand Slam title with a serve Muchova could barely touch.

Noskova had led 6-2, 5-2 before Muchova dragged the match into a deciding set. John McEnroe said it was "one of the all-time greatest efforts you will ever see on this court." Laura Robson said the atmosphere became so tense that people were putting their phones away mid-match.

Noskova turned immediately to her family and to her late mother, Ivana Nosková. With her father, Drahos, watching from the stands, Noskova said: "There's one more person that I want to thank, which is my mum. I would definitely not be standing here without you, so thank you." She then kissed her right hand and lifted it toward the sky.

Ivana Nosková died of cancer on the eve of Wimbledon in 2024, when Linda was 19 and had to play her first match at SW19 shortly after the loss. Noskova said she had been trying to block out the crowd after losing the second set, and went off court to splash cold water on her face before resetting for the decider.

The win made Noskova the youngest Wimbledon women’s champion since Petra Kvitova in 2011 and the third Czech woman to lift the trophy in four years, after Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024. It was also the first all-Czech women’s singles final in the Open Era and only the second all-Czech Grand Slam singles final overall.