Wimbledon day 13: Marketa Vondrousova makes history as Ons Jabeur falls short

By Sports Desk July 15, 2023

Marketa Vondrousova is the women’s Wimbledon champion after she beat Ons Jabeur in the final to win her first grand slam.

Neal Skupski completed his hat-trick of titles at SW19 by winning the men’s doubles with Wesley Koolhof, while Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid continued their domination of the wheelchair doubles with a fifth title here.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at day 13 of the Championships.

Vondrousova’s moment of history

Marketa Vondrousova created history when she became the first unseeded player to win the women’s title at Wimbledon after her 6-4 6-4 victory over Ons Jabeur.

The Czech’s victory marks an impressive comeback after injury stalled her career having made the French Open final as a 19-year-old and she was only at Wimbledon last year to support her best friend in qualifying while wearing a cast following wrist surgery.

But now her name is on the honours board and she has a place in history, becoming just the third Czech woman to lift the title following Martina Navratilova and Petra Kvitova.

Spare a thought for Jabeur, though, who lost in the final for a second year in a row. She was inconsolable at the end, having firmly believed that this was her time, but vowed to come back and win Wimbledon in the future.

Tweet of the dayHat-trick for Skupski

Neal Skupski became just the second Briton to win the Wimbledon men’s doubles in the open era after he and Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof triumphed on Centre Court.

Only Jonny Marray had previously won in SW19 back in 2012, but Skupski and Koolhof lived up to their top seed billing with a 6-4 6-4 win over Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

Victory ensured home success at this year’s tournament and also gave Skupski a Wimbledon hat-trick after glory in the 2021 and 2022 mixed doubles.

Skupski, 33 and from Liverpool, said this would be the “pinnacle” and it is his first grand slam title in the men’s doubles, having lost in the US Open final last year.

Picture of the dayHewett eyes full set after more doubles joy

Alfie Hewett is one win away from completing the set of grand slams after making his way through to the wheelchair singles finals.

The Briton has won at the Australian Open, the French Open and US Open but his home slam has so far evaded him.

After easing past Martin De La Puente in the semi-finals he will now go for glory against top seed Tokito Oda, who beat Gordon Reid on his way to the final.

While the singles title at Wimbledon has proved problematic, Hewett has had no problems in the doubles with his partner Reid and they claimed a fifth title in SW19.

The home pair beat Japanese opponents Takuya Miki and Oda to post an 18th grand slam crown together.

Quote of the daySearle closing in on history

There is a chance of even more British success on Sunday as Henry Searle is in the boy’s final.

The 17-year-old from Wolverhampton is one match away from becoming Britain’s first singles champion in the boys’ tournament for 61 years.

Having earlier knocked out the top seed he ousted American fourth seed Cooper Williams 7-6 (4) 6-3 in the semi-finals.

If he can beat Russian Yaroslav Demin in the final he will emulate Stanley Matthews, son of the famous footballer, who triumphed back in 1962.

Shot of the dayStat of the day

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    Data Debrief: The Italian Job

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    Italy have claimed their fifth Billie Jean King Cup, having previously triumphed in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013.

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