CHARLESTON, S.C. – – They apparently were good friends, but except for the last five games of the second set Karolina Muchova hardly appeared to have a chance against talented 21-year-old Czech Linda Noskova in Saturday’s Wimbledon women’s final.
And as it turned out, Noskova made sure she didn’t give her veteran Czech friend a chance to spoil things in 17 of the other games. That was enough to give Noskova a convincing 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory over the 29-year-old Muchova.
YOUNG WIMBLEDON CHAMPION LOOKS FOR REAL
Noskova appeared headed for an easy win when she jumped out to a 6-2, 5-2, 40-love lead. At that point, she owned triple match point.
Muchova took those next five games to even the match at one set each as Noskova appeared to lose her dominance for a few more games. Noskova’s balls were going everywhere except the court.
Noskova finally regained her powerful game of big serves and ground strokes that Muchova couldn’t handle. Noskova finally ended things in the third set on a sixth match point in the two hours and 27 minutes match.
HEIGHT COMES IN HANDY FOR BOTH PLAYERS
Both players used their heights of the 5-10 and 5-11 variety, but Noskova demonstrated her big game best as she held service in all nine of her service games in the first and third sets.
It was just that five-game collapse by Noskova in the second set when she gave away five match points that made things a little more interesting for the Wimbledon crowd.
Otherwise, the newly crowned No. 7 player in the world looks like a player ready for the Grand Slams.
She definitely hits a big forehand and a powerful serve. Those two characteristics should take her a long ways the next decade.
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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.
