LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Linda Noskova won her first Wimbledon title in astonishing style on Saturday as the tearful Czech recovered from wasting five match points to beat Karolina Muchova in one of the most dramatic finals in All England Club history.

Noskova appeared to be on the brink of a devastating loss when she broke down in tears after squandering those match points in the second set of a Centre Court classic.

But the 21-year-old somehow regained her composure in a final with more twists than a Hollywood blockbuster.

Summoning incredible resilience, Noskova clinched her maiden Grand Slam crown with a remarkable 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory over her 10th-seeded compatriot.

Quite how the ninth seed was able to avoid a complete meltdown in the aftermath of her mid-match collapse will go down in the annals of Wimbledon lore.

In two hours and 28 minutes of unrelenting drama, Noskova showed the heart of a champion to establish herself as the youngest woman to win Wimbledon in 15 years.

“All these matches have been so tough, physically and mentally tough — today especially. It’s never easy to get the last point. Karo, you really made me work for it,” Noskova said after lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish.

“All the sad tears, happy tears, sweat, blood, and it’s all worth it. I will never forget these two weeks.”

Muchova’s second Grand Slam final defeat left her in tears.

“Really tough to find any words, but I’ll start with Linda, my ‘ex-friend’. I’m kidding obviously — kinda!” she said.

“The way you handled it is really unbelievable. Beyond this, you are a very kind person. You deserve it.”

The third tour-level title of Noskova’s career emulated the success of her compatriot Petra Kvitova, who was the same age when she won the first of her two Wimbledon crowns in 2011.

It was a full-circle moment for Noskova, who was inspired to take up tennis by the Wimbledon success of her childhood idol Kvitova.

Fittingly, Kvitova was watching from the royal box as Noskova celebrated her breakthrough victory.

For the third time in the last four years a Czech woman won Wimbledon, following Barbora Krejcikova in 2024 and Marketa Vondrousova in 2023.

Noskova, who banked the winner’s prize of £3.6 million (US$4.8 million), has emerged as one of the rising stars of the women’s game during her remarkable run at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Noskova, who only played her first match on grass in Birmingham in 2023, has won more matches on the surface than any other player on the WTA Tour in the past two years.

Even so, she had never been past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam prior to arriving at Wimbledon two weeks ago.

With her love of baking, penchant for lucky charms, and unusual rituals — besides the piercing in her nose she has matcha tea served by a friend every morning during the tournament — the quirky Noskova is a colourful addition to Wimbledon’s list of champions.

She has a painful Wimbledon memory — in 2024 she entered the tournament shortly after her mother had died of cancer.

Now she has a happier one to ease a little of that pain.

In the first Open era Grand Slam final between two Czech women — the pair are long-time friend — it was Noskova who took the first set with ease.

But Noskova wobbled spectacularly, wasting four match points and allowing Muchova to break back when she served for the match in the second set.

Putting her fingers in her ears to block out the crowd’s stunned reaction, Noskova squandered another match point as Muchova held to level at 5-5.

Noskova covered her head in a towel and appeared to wipe away tears before Muchova closed out the set.

She stormed off court before the deciding set, taking a break that proved decisive.

From the depths of despair, she broke early in the set and finally sealed her victory before collapsing to the turf in disbelief.