Marketa Vondrousova reached her first Wimbledon final after surviving a scare to beating Elina Svitolina 6-3 6-3.
The unseeded Czech player, who had not previously made it past the second round at the All England Club, broke Svitolina’s serve three times in a dominant first-set display.
Vondrousova raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set, only for her Ukrainian opponent — backed by the Centre Court crowd — to break back and briefly shift the momentum.
But a double fault helped the 2019 French Open finalist reclaim the advantage at 5-3 and she duly served out the contest to boost hopes of a first grand slam title.
Vondrousova, who defeated American Jessica Pegula in the last eight, is the first unseeded player to reach the women’s final at Wimbledon since Billie Jean King in 1963.
She will play last year’s runner-up, Ons Jabeur, or Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s final.
Vondrousova, who missed six months in 2022 due to wrist surgery, said after victory: “I cannot believe it. I’m just very happy that I made the final game, it was very tough.
“She’s such a fighter and she’s also such a great person. I was crazy nervous. I was nervous the whole match. I was leading 4-0 in the second set and she came back. You have to stay focused and try to…
