London [UK]: Marketa Vondrousova made a thriving trip into her second career Grand Slam final with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Elina Svitolina in the Wimbledon 2023 semifinals on Thursday.
Vondrousova also became the first unseeded Wimbledon finalist in the Open Era, overcoming a second-set surge by Elina Svitolina in the semifinals. In the all-unseeded match, Czech lefty Vondrousova defeated Ukraine’s Svitolina in a match that lasted for one hour and 15 minutes. Svitolina was playing only her second Grand Slam event since returning from maternity leave in April.
In the match, Vondrousova was more efficient behind her first serve, winning 74 per cent of the points while Svitolina won less than half. Vondrousova had 22 wins against Svitolina’s nine, despite committing only one more unforced mistake.
With a scorching backhand serve return, Vondrousova seized control of the opening set, breaking Svitolina for 4-3. Two games later, Vondrousova struck a forehand passing winner to earn set point, which she converted following Svitolina’s wayward forehand.
“Crazy, It was a very tough match. She was coming back. She was playing some good tennis. I’m just very happy that I stayed focused and I stayed in my head. I’m happy with the way I finished it,” Vondrousova said in her post-match press conference as quoted by WTA.
“[A previous Grand Slam final] can help you also on the way. You know what to do. You know you have to have good people around you. Definitely it can help. I mean, I’m a bit older now also. I think I’m a bit different person. I’m just very happy to be through this again,” Vondrousova said.
Vondrousova led 4-0 in the second set and 40-0 in the game to go up 5-0. But Svitolina was determined to win another three-set match, as she had done in the previous rounds against Victoria Azarenka and World No.1 Iga Swiatek, and she drew mistakes from Vondrousova to reach 4-3.
Svitolina’s momentum was ended by three mistakes and a double fault in her following service game, as Vondrousova broke for 5-3. Vondrousova reached match point with her fourth ace of the day at 30-30, and another unreturnable serve clinched her triumph.
“I didn’t play many matches on grass before. My best [Wimbledon] was second round. For me, when it was clay or hard, maybe I would say, yeah, maybe it’s possible. But grass was impossible for me. It’s even crazier that this is happening,” Vondrousova said of grasscourt tournaments.
“After everything I’ve been through, two surgeries, it’s not always easy to come back. You don’t know if you can play at this level and if you can be back at the top and back at these tournaments. I just feel like I’m just grateful to be on a court again, to play without pain. I’m just really grateful for it,” Vondrousova said.
