London: Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic defeated Jasmine Paolini of Italy 6-2, 2-6, 6-4  in a thrilling three-set finale to win her maiden Wimbledon women’s singles title, yesterday. 

Krejcikova, seeded 31, an unexpected finalist, showcased her tenacity and skill, particularly in the decisive set, to add this Wimbledon title to her 2021 French Open victory. In a nail-biting conclusion, she saved two break points in the final game before sealing the win on her third Championship point. Paolini demonstrated remarkable resilience by bouncing back in the second set to force a decider. Despite her spirited effort, her hopes of becoming the first Italian woman to win the Wimbledon singles title were dashed after she conceded a critical break with a double fault in the final set.

Meanwhile, American-Czech pair of Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova beat Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe 7-6(5) 7-6(1)  to win the women’s doubles title.  In the men’s doubles Britain’s Henry Patten and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara overcame Australian pair of Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson 6-7(7) 7-6(8) 7-6(11-9) in an absorbing final to clinch their first grand slam doubles title.

Today’s matches will feature second seed Novak Djokovic taking on third seed Carlos Alcaraz in what is the repeat of last year’s finals. Last year, Alcaraz defeated in Djokovic in a thrilling final 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 to win his maiden title. In the mixed doubles, Unseeded S. Gonzalez and G. Olmos of Italy will take on seventh seed pair Poland’s J. Zielinski and Taiwan’s S. Hsieh at the Centre Court.

Kate Middleton to attend

The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, will attend the Wimbledon men’s final this evening to present the winner’s trophy, Kensington Palace said.

Contingency plans had been put in place for the Duchess of Gloucester, an Hon. President of Lawn Tennis Association for 25 years, to step in if the Princess of Wales was unavailable due to her ongoing preventative cancer treatment. Kate, 42, was last seen in public watching Trooping The Colour last month.