Linda Noskova reached her first-ever Wimbledon final after beating Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-4 in the women’s semi-final on Thursday.
The ninth seed needed just 79 minutes to defeat the 12th-seeded Ukrainian in hot conditions on Centre Court.
Noskova will now face compatriot Karolina Muchova in the final after Muchova defeated Coco Gauff in a thrilling three-set semi-final earlier in the day.
Before this year’s Wimbledon, the 21-year-old had never gone beyond the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam. Now, she is just one win away from claiming her first major title.
“I just tried to stay calm, be patient and find a way to win the last point,” Noskova said after the match.
“When I play my best tennis, I know I can compete with the best players in the world. Reaching my first Grand Slam final is an amazing feeling.”
The women’s title at Wimbledon will now stay with the Czech Republic for a third time in the last four years. Barbora Krejcikova won the title in 2024, while Marketa Vondrousova lifted the trophy in 2023.
Wimbledon has been a happy hunting ground for Czech players over the years. Noskova has often spoken about looking up to Petra Kvitova, who won the title in 2011 and 2014, while Jana Novotna became Wimbledon champion in 1998 after finishing runner-up twice.
Noskova also became the eighth Czech woman since 2000 to reach the Wimbledon singles semi-finals.
It will be the first Wimbledon women’s singles final between two players from the same country since Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus Williams in 2009.
Kostyuk came into the match in excellent form, having won 21 of her previous 22 matches. Her only defeat during that run came against Mirra Andreeva in the French Open semi-finals in June.
However, she once again missed out on a place in her first Grand Slam final.
Noskova had already enjoyed an impressive run at Wimbledon, beating Belgium’s Elise Mertens in straight sets to reach the semi-finals. That made her the youngest Wimbledon women’s semi-finalist since Jelena Ostapenko in 2018.
She also arrived in London full of confidence after winning the Berlin Open, her first title on grass. Over the past two seasons, no player on the WTA Tour has won more matches on grass than Noskova.
The semi-final was closely contested early on, with both players matching each other from the baseline.
The first set was decided when Kostyuk produced a double fault on set point, handing Noskova the advantage.
Noskova carried that momentum into the second set, breaking serve to move 3-1 ahead.
Kostyuk fought back to level the contest, but Noskova stayed composed. She sealed the biggest win of her career when Kostyuk sent a forehand long on match point, booking her place in Saturday’s Wimbledon final.
