Wimbledon 2023 Women's Report

Vondrousova wins title at Wimbledon 2023

Marketa Vondrousova has won Wimbledon 2023. In the final, the Czech player defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4/6-4. This is the first time Vondrousova has won the prestigious tournament. This is impressive, especially considering the strong field of participants at the 2023 Wimbledon women's tournament. The entire world's top twenty was present in Great Britain to compete for the title.

From world number one Iga Swiatek to multiple champion Petra Kvitova, and from Venus Williams to defending champion Elena Rybakina: the competition was fierce. For the Dutch participants, however, things looked a little less promising. None of their compatriots managed to qualify directly for the main draw, and Arantxa Rus, Arianne Hartono, Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, and Bibiane Schoofs all failed to qualify in the qualifying tournament.

Wimbledon 2023 women's tournament highlights

The spectacle of the women's tournament at Wimbledon 2023 on the hallowed grass began early, as Coco Gauff (WTA-7) had to bow out in the first round. The young American played against her compatriot Sofia Kenin, where she conceded defeat after three sets. The first round also proved to be a nightmare for several other seeded players. Maria Sakkari (WTA-8) lost her opening match to Marta Kostyuk, the relatively unknown Natalija Stevanovic (WTA-225) proved too strong for former finalist Karolina Pliskova, and Liudmila Samsonova couldn't hold her own against Ana Bogdan.

The second round proved less of a stumbling block for the seeded players, although Jelena Ostapenko and Veronika Kudermetova will undoubtedly feel differently. The Latvian lost in three sets to Sorana Cirstea, while Kudermetova was defeated by Vondrousova. Vondrousova certainly had a taste of the game, as she also defeated the 20th-seeded Donna Vekic in the next round. Moreover, Viktoria Azarenka prevailed in her encounter with the 11th-seeded Daria Kasatkina, and Marie Bouzkova defeated the fifth-seeded Caroline Garcia. The Czech player ultimately won in three sets and after more than two and a half hours: 7-6/4-6/7-5.

Curtain falls prematurely for Swiatek

The big surprise in the round of 16 was the presence of Mirra Andreeva. However, it wouldn't have been surprising if this 16-year-old had also reached the quarterfinals shortly after. Andreeva faced the experienced Madison Keys in her round of 16 match, leading 3-6/0-3, but ultimately lost to the American. Swiatek did qualify for the quarterfinals. The Polish player defeated Lin Zhu, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Petra Martic, and Belinda Bencic in succession, before facing Elina Svitolina in the last eight. The Ukrainian proved to be a stumbling block for the world number one, who had to congratulate her opponent after about three hours of tennis: 7-5/6-7/6-2. The other quarterfinals were won by Vondrousova (vs. Jessica Pegula), Jabeur (vs. defending champion Rybakina) and Aryba Sabalenka (vs. Keys), making the semifinals Svitolina-Vondrousova and Jabeur-Sabalenka.

The match between Svitolina and Vondrousova was particularly noteworthy. Both players were unseeded at Wimbledon 2023, making the winner the first unseeded Wimbledon finalist since the Open Era. The match wasn't as exciting as one might have anticipated. Svitolina had perhaps run out of steam during her match against Swiatek and therefore couldn't offer the necessary resistance (6-3/6-3), meaning Vondrousova qualified for the 2023 Wimbledon final. Her opponent in this final was Jabeur, who expertly dispatched the second-seeded Sabalenka in three sets (6-7/6-4/6-3). It was the Tunisian's third Grand Slam final, while for Vondrousova it was her second Grand Slam final after Roland Garros (2019).

Vondrousova defeats Jabeur in Wimbledon 2023 final

One thing was certain: this Wimbledon 2023 final between Vondrousova (WTA-42) and Jabeur (WTA-6) would produce a winner who had never won a Grand Slam before. While both the Czech and Tunisian had played in Grand Slam finals before, neither had won it. It seemed like the final was quickly going Jabeur's way, as she quickly built a 4-2 lead. However, the set completely changed from that moment on, and shortly after, Vondrousova took the first set, 6-4. It was a heavy blow for Jabeur, who visibly struggled to cope with the favorite role and was broken again in the first game of the second set. The world number six then took a 1-3 lead, but Jabeur was unable to hold on to this break. Once again, it was Vondrousova who came out on top at the end of the set, her second match point at 5-4 deciding the 2023 Wimbledon final, giving the 24-year-old her first career Grand Slam title.