Magda Linette rounded off her Olympic preparations in style as she claimed her third WTA title with a comfortable win over Magdalena Frech at the Prague Open. 

Linette, who beat Viktoriya Tomova and Linda Noskova on her way to the final, won in straight sets 6-2 6-1 as she now heads to Paris to face Mirra Andreeva. 

The world number 41 was in the ascendency from the off, forcing a break in the fourth game and never looking back. 

Despite the best efforts of Frech, who saved one set point, Linette continued to apply the pressure and another break put her a set up.

Linette would again break in the fourth game of the second set, winning three games on the bounce to secure her first career win over her compatriot. 

Data Debrief: Linette prevails in first all-Polish affair

The final in Prague between Linette and Frech was the first all-Polish WTA level final in the Open Era. 

Linette's triumph over her opponent was her first, having lost in the pair's previous encounter in Saint-Malo back in 2022. 

During the contest, the world number 41 gave nothing away, saving all four of the break points she faced while converting three of the seven she had against Frech. 

Ahead of joining compatriot Iga Swiatek at the Paris Olympics, Magda Linette and Magdalena Frech will prepare by contesting the first all-Polish WTA final of the Open Era.

Linette and Frech, ranked 48th and 57th respectively by the WTA, will both take part in the Olympic singles tournament at Roland-Garros, for which four-time French Open champion Swiatek is the firm favourite.

While Swiatek has been drawn to face Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round, Linette will face Mirra Andreeva and Frech is set to take on Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova.

Before then, though, the latter duo will go head-to-head in the final of the Prague Open.

Both overcame home favourites to advance to the showpiece match in Czechia, Linette beating first seed Linda Noskova 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-2).

Frech, meanwhile, benefitted from a walkover against 16-year-old Laura Samsonova, the former Wimbledon girl's champion being forced to retire while down 3-6 6-0 4-2.

Frech, who is yet to win a WTA Tour-level title, won the only previous meeting between the pair in the Saint Malo quarter-finals in 2022, triumphing 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 6-2.

Rafael Nadal could face Novak Djokovic in a heavyweight second-round match at the Paris Olympic Games after the draws for the tennis tournaments were made on Thursday.

Nadal is widely expected to retire from tennis later this year, with the Olympics set to represent his swansong at Roland-Garros, where he has won 14 French Open titles.

He will play in both the singles and doubles tournaments, partnering current French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz for the latter competition.

Nadal and Alcaraz will face Argentina's fourth-seeded pair Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in a difficult first-round matchup in the doubles tournament.

Nadal is one of just two players to have won Olympic gold in both singles and doubles since the sport returned to the Games in 1988, doing so at Beijing 2008 (singles) and Rio 2016 (doubles) – Nicolas Massu triumphed over both events at Athens 2004.

In the singles, Nadal will take on Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the opening round, and the prize could be a second-round date with Djokovic, who faces Australian Matthew Ebden first.

They are on the same side of the draw as third seed Alexander Zverev, who faces Jaume Munar first, and seventh seed Taylor Fritz, who opens against Alexander Bublik.

On the opposite side of the bracket, Alcaraz will start his campaign against Hady Habib, with Britain's Cameron Norrie a potential second-round opponent.

Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev faces Rinky Hijikata in his first match, while fifth seed Alex de Minaur is a potential quarter-final opponent for Alcaraz.

Britain's Andy Murray withdrew from the singles event to concentrate on his doubles bid alongside Dan Evans on Thursday, and the duo will face Kei Nishikori and Taro Daniel of Japan first.

Should they advance, home favourites Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert could await in round two, with Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul potential quarter-final foes, though the Americans will have to overcome Canada's Milos Raonic and Felix Auger Aliassime to get that far.

Murray and Evans cannot face Nadal and Alcaraz until the final. 

Iga Swiatek is the strong favourite in the women's draw, having won four French Open titles on the Paris clay. Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu is her round-one opponent.

On her same side of the draw, there is a huge round-one clash between Naomi Osaka and 2016 silver medallist Angelique Kerber, who announced on Thursday that she will retire after the Games.

Elena Rybakina and Danielle Collins are also on that side of the draw, while Coco Gauff starts against Ajla Tomljanovic on the opposite side of the bracket.

Barbora Krejcikova said winning Wimbledon marks the best day of her life as she celebrated an unexpected triumph.

The Czech earned her maiden title at All England Club with a hard-fought 6-2 2-6 6-4 victory over Jasmine Paolini in Saturday's final.

It brought up Krejcikova's second grand slam title, after the 2021 French Open, making her the seventh player to win their first women's singles finals at both tournaments.

Having pulled off three major shocks to get to the final, knocking out Danielle Collins, Jelena Ostapenko, and Elena Rybakina, Krejcikova appeared stunned when she finally got her hands on the trophy.

"I don't have any words right now, it's just unbelievable. It's definitely the best day of my tennis career and also the best day of my life," Krejcikova said.

"It's super difficult to explain what I'm feeling right now. I would like to congratulate Jasmine and her team. She had a great two weeks, it was a great final, and we were fighting for every point.

"I think nobody believes that I got to the final and nobody believes that I won Wimbledon. I still can't believe it.

"I didn't really have a good beginning to the season. It's unbelievable I'm stood here now, and I've won Wimbledon. I have no idea [how it happened]."

Following her win over Rybakina in the semi-final, Krejcikova paid tribute to Jana Novotna, who passed away in 2017 from ovarian cancer at the age of 49.

She first met the 1998 Wimbledon winner 10 years ago, and has now emulated her former mentor's achievements.

"I think that day, knocking on her door, it changed my life," an emotional Krejcikova added. "Because in that period when I finished the juniors, I didn’t know what to do – should I continue playing pro or go into education?

"She was the one who told me I had the potential, and I should definitely turn pro. Before she passed away, she told me I can win a slam.

"I achieved that in Paris in 2021 – it was an unbelievable moment for me, and I never really dreamed I would win the same trophy as Jana did in 1998."

Diego Schwartzman hopes player conditions across the ATP and WTA Tours can improve after pledging his allegiance to the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), co-founded by Novak Djokovic.

Schwartzman also revealed that Vasek Pospisil was eager to add his name to the star-studded executive committee, which includes Hubert Hurkacz and Ons Jabeur.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Schwartzman said: "Well, it took a long time for me to decide and go in. Vasek was trying hard to have me there. Also, ATP always, when they have this selection of the ATP council and the players council, they always try to have me in there.

"My English has been improving over the last few years, so it was good for them to have this kind of combination of a Latin voice, who is English speaking and a strong voice."

Whether it is the mandatory tour events, the short off-season period or the late nights at grand slams, tennis top stars have long called for improved conditions off the court to allow for better quality on it.

Schwartzman, who achieved a career-high world ranking of eight in 2020, admits to having his own battles with the ATP, which led to an alignment with the PTPA.

"I always have strong thoughts, I’m always fighting with the ATP, with the tour managers, with everyone and trying to get better conditions for the players. So, I think that was why I joined PTPA a few months ago," he added.

Since turning professional in 2010, Schwartzman has seen the highs and lows of the sport across his 14-year stint on the Tour.

The Argentine remains competitive with the elite and will no doubt hope to add to the four ATP titles already to his name.

Off the court, he has high hopes that by having 24-time grand slam champion Djokovic at the helm of the PTPA, change across the ATP and WTA Tours is not far away.

Schwartzman said of Djokovic: "He started pushing hard in 2020, 2019. Without the PTPA at that time, pushing for the players, under COVID-19 conditions, it was very hard for us to play the tournaments, with many different conditions, depending on all the different countries and it was tough for us and he had at that time his voice and he was pushing to help the players.

"Then Vasek joined him, and to have this combination between the number one and the guy who has his own voice, and Vasek helping other ranking players, so in the end they are growing very fast.

"I think also with the women now, many different girls have joined PTPA, strong names, and I think that’s very important. As many names as we have, we also have Novak as a main voice. I think that’s very important.

"It was very difficult for tennis to reach because it’s an individual sport, it's always difficult to think as a collective, a group of players because we come from different situations, different countries and it the end Djokovic helps a lot to make us feel like we have a strong voice."

Jasmine Paolini insists she will try to keep smiling despite falling to her second consecutive grand slam final defeat against Barbora Krejcikova at Wimbledon. 

Paolini was beaten in the final of the French Open by Iga Swiatek last month and suffered a familiar fate on Centre Court. 

The Italian rallied in the second set to take the game to a decider, but Krejcikova was able to find the edge in the seventh game to secure her second major crown.

Paolini's two showpiece match defeats saw her become the sixth woman to lose at both the Roland Garros and All England Club in the same calendar year. 

Paolini shared a warm embrace at the net with Krejcikova, who became the seventh different winner in the last seven Wimbledon finals. 

The world number seven was gracious in defeat, thanking her team and finally for what she described as a "crazy" two-month period. 

"To see this stadium full is a dream come true. Barbora, you played unbelievable. You play such beautiful tennis. Congrats to you and your team," Paolini said. 

"The last two months have been crazy for me. I want to thank my team, my family. They always support me and I wouldn't be here without them.

"The crowd have been amazing. I received a lot of support. Just incredible to feel the love from them. I enjoy it so much.

"Today I am a little bit sad. I try to keep smiling because I have to remember today is still a good day. I made the final of Wimbledon.

"I remember as a kid watching the final and cheering for Federer, I have to say. It's been a beautiful two weeks and I want to thank everyone who made it possible."

Barbora Krejcikova has won her first Wimbledon title after going the distance against Jasmine Paolini in the final on Saturday.

After a scare in the second set, the Czech rallied in a tight decider to win 6-2 2-6 6-4 in just under two hours on Centre Court.

Krejcikova could not have hoped for a better start as she asserted her dominance with a vital break in the first game.

Though Paolini successfully defended two break points during her next serve, she struggled to match her opponent's intensity as Krejcikova raced to a 5-1 advantage.

Paolini came out on a mission in the second set, though, with the Italian reeling off three games in a row.

A second break for Paolini forced the decider, and it was not until the seventh game of that set that Krejcikova found the edge.

A gripping final game swung one way and then the other, Paolini clawing back two championship points either side seeing a break attempt of her own reeled in by Krejcikova.

Yet it was a case of third time lucky when Paolini went long, handing Krejcikova her second major crown.

Krejcikova shines in the spotlight

Krejcikova said before the final that she wanted to enjoy her time in the spotlight after making complaints last year that other names on the WTA Tour were being given more focus.

She had won just three singles matches in five months coming into Wimbledon, but firmly put that form behind her.

On her way to the title, she pulled off three big shocks, knocking out Danielle Collins, Jelena Ostapenko, and Elena Rybakina.

Krejcikova's triumph on Saturday means she has won 13 main draw matches at the All England Club, level with her career-best at the Australian Open (13).

And, following her French Open win three years ago, Krejcikova is just the first Czech player in the Open Era to secure the Women's Singles grand slam titles at different events.

So close, but so far

It has been quite the year for Paolini, who reached her first-ever grand slam final at the French Open last month, only to lose to Iga Swiatek.

And one has become two with this dream run at SW19.

Before this year, she had never won a match at All England Club, exiting in the first round in her previous three appearances. In fact, she had not won a Tour-level match on grass until June, when she reached the semi-finals of Eastbourne.

She went on to win six more at Wimbledon, but could not maintain that momentum in the final.

Paolini has now joined an unwanted list as the sixth woman to lose both the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same calendar year, after Evonne Goolagong (1972), Chris Evert (1973 and 1984), Olga Morozova (1974), Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1995 and 1996) and Venus Williams (2002).

Barbora Krejcikova paid an emotional tribute to Jana Novotna following her semi-final victory against Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon. 

Krejcikova came from a set down to emerge victorious, beating the 2022 Wimbledon champion 3-6 6-3 6-4 in a remarkable turnaround on Centre Court. 

The world number 31 became the seventh Czech-born woman to reach a women's singles final at Wimbledon in the Open Era, following in the footsteps of her former coach. 

Novotna, who won the competition in 1998 when she defeated France's Nathalie Tauziat, passed away in 2017 from ovarian cancer at the age of 49. 

The pair first met when Krejcikova was 18 years old, with the 28-year-old reduced to tears as she dedicated the win to her former friend in her post-match interview. 

"I just miss her very much, I miss her so much," Krejcikova said after reaching her first Wimbledon women's singles final.

"Definitely I remember thinking about Jana a lot. I have so many beautiful memories and when I step on the court here, I am fighting for every ball, and I am sure that is what she would want me to do.

"She was telling me a lot of stories about her journey here and how she was trying to win Wimbledon. I was so far away when we had this talk.

"Now I am here and I am in a final!

"I remember thinking about her a lot. I have so many beautiful memories and when I step on the court I fight for every single ball as that is what she would want me to do."

Krejcikova will face Jasmine Paolini in Saturday's final in what will be the first women's singles final at a grand slam during the Open Era where two opponents have previously met in a grand slam qualifier. 

The Czech won in straight sets in the aforementioned clash at the Australian Open in 2018 and is expecting a tough encounter against the world number seven. 

"A big fight. I know that she is a huge fighter and she showed today, but it will be the same from me. We are playing great tennis and it will be a great match on Saturday."

Donna Vekic revealed she was in "so much pain" in her record-breaking Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Jasmine Paolini, explaining her tears in the third set of a marathon match.

Vekic let slip a first-set lead to lose 2-6 6-4 7-6 (10-8) on Centre Court and miss out on a major final debut.

It appeared emotions had got the better of the first-time semi-finalist as victory slipped away despite a further early break in the decider, eventually losing after two hours and 51 minutes.

This was the longest women's singles semi in Wimbledon history, and Vekic insisted her tears were provoked by the punishment her body took in the epic encounter.

"I thought I was going to die in the third set," Vekic said in her post-match news conference. "I had so much pain in my arm, in my leg.

"It was not easy out there, but I will recover.

"I was more crying because I had so much pain, I didn't know how I could keep playing. My team tells me I can be proud of myself.

"It's tough right now. It's really tough to be positive right now. It was so close." 

Paolini will now play Barbora Krejcikova in Saturday's final, her second grand slam title match after losing to perennial French Open champion Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros in June.

"Two grand slam finals in a row was crazy to believe, I think, no?" Paolini said. "I'm also surprised how at the moment, until now in this moment, I'm living this.

"I feel maybe Saturday I will be so nervous, I don't know, but I feel also relaxed. I'm the same person. I'm doing the same things. I'm surprised a little bit how I'm managing this.

"I don't want to say more, because maybe Saturday I'm going to be shaking. I'm surprising myself to live this with with really relaxing mood."

Jasmine Paolini outlasted Donna Vekic to win the longest women's semi-final in Wimbledon history, reaching her second grand slam final in just over a month.

Paolini, who was runner-up to Iga Swiatek at the French Open in June, was pushed all the way and had to come through a third-set tie-break, eventually triumphing 2-6 6-4 7-6 (10-8) on Centre Court.

The seventh seed will now face either Elena Rybakina or Barbora Krejcikova in Saturday's final.

An opening game featuring four deuces and a squandered break point for Vekic set the tone as she started confidently, and Paolini was unable to force a single break point in the opening set while conceding six.

The stakes were huge for unseeded Vekic, who was competing in her first grand slam semi-final having exited in the first round of 20 majors, but she found breaks in the fifth and seventh games to go ahead.

A second set featuring a number of long rallies and back-and-forth games saw Paolini fight her way back into the contest, smashing a forehand winner on set point before roaring to the vocal crowd.

Vekic broke early in the decider as she threatened to overpower Paolini, but an eye-catching forehand helped the Italian stave off another break and she clinched one of her own in the eighth game, a Vekic double fault helping her on the way.

The Croatian saved match point at 5-4 and then missed a potentially match-changing break point at 5-5, breaking down in tears and appearing to struggle physically at the change of ends.

Paolini missed another match point at 6-5, Vekic firing a forehand winner down the line to cap a breathtaking rally before closing out the game to ensure a tie-break was required.

The Italian was not about to waste a third opportunity to clinch the win, though, with Vekic sending a forehand wide to finally bring the curtain down on a historic two-hour, 51-minute battle.

"I was trying to think about what to do point by point because it was really difficult, you know there is no place better than here to fight for every ball and every point," Paolini said in her post-match interview.

"I really enjoy playing in front of you guys. For a tennis player this is the best place to play a match like this and thank you for cheering for me!"

Data Debrief: Double delight for Paolini

Paolini fell short of French Open glory when she could not match clay-court specialist Swiatek at Roland Garros last month, but she has joined an exclusive list by making the finals of both major tournaments in the same year.

This century, the only other women to achieve that feat are Justine Henin (2006), Venus Williams (2002) and Serena Williams (2002, 2015 and 2016).

She is also the first Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon final, to make finals at any two slams, and to make finals on all three surfaces in a single WTA campaign.

Elena Rybakina will go up against Barbora Krejcikova in the last four at Wimbledon after a convincing defeat of Elina Svitolina.

Rybakina was broken in the first game of Wednesday's quarter-final, but responded emphatically to overcome her Ukrainian opponent 6-3 6-2.

The world number four, the highest-ranked player left in the women's draw, needed just 61 minutes to complete an emphatic win.

Rybakina is now the player to have reached the joint-most WTA-level semi-finals this season, with seven, which matches Iga Swiatek's total.

Speaking after her victory, Rybakina is wary of being labelled the favourite.

She said: "Of course I have such amazing memories from 2022 and I'm just enjoying every time I step on the court, especially when I play well. It's just really amazing.

"I don't like [to be the favourite] to be honest. 

"Of course, I want to go to the end, but [I'm taking it] match by match and I'm happy with the way I'm going and looking forward to the next one."

Her next match will come against 2021 French Open champion Krejcikova, who sent world number 14 Jelena Ostapenko packing.

Krejcikova triumphed 6-4 7-6 (7-4), coming out on top in a thrilling second-set tie-break, to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon for the first time in her career.

"It's an unbelievable moment that I'm experiencing right now in my tennis career," said the Czech, who won only three Tour-level matches between February and June.

Data Debrief: Home away from home

Only Monica Seles (Australian Open 21/21 and French Open 20/21), Margaret Court (US Open 20/21, French Open 20/21 and Australian Open 20/21) and Chris Evert (RG 20/21) have won more from their first 21 matches at a single major than Rybakina at Wimbledon (19/21) during the Open Era.

Krejcikova, meanwhile, has become the player with the most singles grand slam main draw appearances between their first two major semi-finals (13) since Sloane Stephens (16 between the 2013 Australian Open and the US Open in 2017).

Jasmine Paolini moved into her first Wimbledon semi-final after breezing past Emma Navarro in straight sets on Tuesday.

The seventh seed had never won a WTA main-draw match on grass courts until late last month but progressed into the last four at SW19 after triumphing 6-2 6-1 on Centre Court.

French Open finalist Paolini will fancy her chances of reaching the final as well, with world number 37 Donna Vekic – who overcame Lulu Sun in the quarter-finals – standing in her way of the showpiece.

Having profited from Madison Keys' injury-enforced retirement in the last round, Paolini was slow to get going after Navarro, who stunned Coco Gauff earlier in the competition, broke to seize an early 2-1 lead.

Yet the Italian appeared fuelled by that concession, winning on her opponent's service for three straight games to turn that deficit into a routine first-set triumph in just 27 minutes.

The 23-year-old Navarro struggled to regain her composure in the following set, missing two break-point chances at 1-1 before Paolini followed up by breaking to snatch a 3-1 advantage.

World number seven Paolini hammered home that advantage soon after, cutting through Navarro with ease en route to victory in less than an hour.

Data Debrief: Italian history for Paolini

Paolini is the first Italian women's player to reach the semi-finals at this tournament, having not previously ever won at Wimbledon before this edition.

The 28-year-old is also the oldest player to reach their first semi-finals in two different grand slams during the same season, since Betty Stove in 1977.

Donna Vekic is through to the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time in her career after coming from behind to beat Lulu Sun.

After losing her previous two grand slam quarter-finals in straight sets, Vekic rallied to beat the qualifier 5-7 6-4 6-1 on Court No.1 on Tuesday.

After a slightly shaky start, Sun held her nerve brilliantly in the fourth game of the opener, holding out through 10 deuces and successfully defending break point three times.

Sun took full advantage of that let-off, getting the all-important break in the 11th game before holding strong to take the first set.

It was a different story in the second, Vekic continuing to show aggression in her serve before finally gaining an edge with her first break and holding out to force a decider.

The Croatian picked up where she left off in the third set, scoring 10 points in a row as she raced to a 3-0 lead, before clinching a second straight break.

Sun, who has spent the most time on court so far in the women's draw, avoided a bagel with her final service game of the match before Vekic finished it off.

She will face Jasmine Paolini or Emma Navarro in the semi-finals.

Data Debrief: Vekic too strong

Vekic is into her first grand slam semi-final on her 43rd major main-draw appearance. In the Open Era, only four players have made their first semi-final after more major appearances.

It is the fourth time at this edition of Wimbledon that Vekic's matches have gone the distance, and the second time she has had to bounce back from losing the first set.

Sun was bidding to become the first qualifier to reach the semi-finals at the All England Club since Alexandra Stevenson in 1999, but she fell just short.

An emotional Elina Svitolina says she struggled to focus during her last-16 win at Wimbledon after Russian attacks killed at least 29 people and hit a children's hospital in her native Ukraine.

The 29-year-old overcame China's Wang Xinyu to reach the quarter-finals on Monday but was reduced to tears in her on-court interview after the ongoings in her homeland.

The strike was part of one of the heaviest attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, with Svitolina sporting a black ribbon to pay tribute to her home country.

"It was a good performance from my side and it's a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people," said Svitolina, who has regularly addressed the impact of the war on Ukraine.

"It was not easy to focus on the match. Since the morning it was very difficult to read the news and just to go on the court... it's extremely tough.

"I'm happy I could play today and get a win."

Wimbledon organisers made a rare exception to relax the tournament's strict all-white rules for Svitolina's fourth-round match, allowing the 2023 semi-finalist to wear the black ribbon on the chest of her white outfit.

"I feel like it would be understandable after such a big attack on my country," she later added at a press conference.

Ukraine's largest children's hospital was among the buildings hit in the attack and world number 21 Svitolina will continue to raise awareness of the war.

"It's [an] incredibly sad day today for all Ukrainians. It was really difficult for me to really be here in a way and do anything," she continued after her 6-2 6-1 win.

"I just wanted to be in my room, just be there with my emotions, with everything.

"I have to put my head down and show up and do my best, my very best. Every Ukrainian is using their own way to raise awareness, to raise money, to help in every possible way they can."

Svitolina faces Russia-born Kazakh player Elena Rybakina in the next round of the grass-court major.

Elena Rybakina has reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for a third straight year, with her progress to the last eight accelerated after opponent Anna Kalinskaya was forced to retire with an injury in the second set.

Fourth seed Rybakina was in complete control of the fourth-round match on Centre Court, leading 6-3 3-0 before Kalinskaya had to call time on the contest after 53 minutes of play, halting what had been her best career run at the tournament.

"Definitely not the way I wanted to finish the match," said Rybakina after her win.

"Anna is a great player. I know she was suffering with a couple of injuries and, if it is the wrist, it is of course very difficult to continue playing. I just wish her a speedy recovery."

Rybakina had also won the last contest between the two players – in Rome last year – due to a retirement from Kalinskaya.

With a strong grass-court record and as one of only two players seeded in the top 10 left in the women's singles tournament, Rybakina is seen as the favourite and player to beat in the second week. She will face either Elina Svitolina next.

Data Debrief: Rybakina in elite company

With a remarkable 18-2 match record at Wimbledon, Rybakina is now one of just three players in the Open Era to hold a win percentage of 90% or higher in the women’s singles.

The other two players are, like Rybakina, former Wimbledon champions: Ann Jones (12-1) and Steffi Graf (74-7).

While Rybakina thrives on grass, she has also impressed on other surfaces and she has now reached the quarter-final or better in 11 of her 12 tournaments played this season.

Aside from Rybakina, Iga Swiatek is the only other player over the past three seasons to hold a match win percentage of over 70% on all three surfaces at WTA level.