High five! Marketa Vondrousova becomes fifth lefty to win Wimbledon women's singles title
Can you recall the other four to achieve the feat at the All England Club?
WATCH: Vondrousova's winning moment
With her 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Ons Jabeur on Saturday, Marketa Vondrousova became the first unseeded women’s singles player in history to win Wimbledon.
The 24-year-old also joined an exclusive club. Vondrousova is just the fifth left-handed woman to raise the Venus Rosewater Dish. Take a trip down memory lane, as we start with the present-day champion:
Marketa Vondrousova (2023)
Having finished runner-up at Roland Garros four years earlier, it goes without saying this result was unexpected. Prior to her remarkable fortnight, Vondrousova had won just one out of five matches contested at Wimbledon. Throughout her run, the Czech took down five seeded opponents, including No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula after trailing 1-4, 30-40 in their third set.
Angelique Kerber (2018)
The German had two majors to her name previously, but Wimbledon was her most sought-after tournament. She came within one win of achieving her dream in 2016, before being stopped by Serena Williams in the final. Two years later, Kerber turned the tables on the American in a 6-3, 6-3 effort to collect her third different Grand Slam trophy. She is 38-13 lifetime at the grass-court major.
Petra Kvitova (2011, ‘14)
In 2010, Kvitova enjoyed a breakout run at The Championships when she advanced to the semifinals. That year, she ran into an unstoppable Serena to see her bid ended. Twelve months later, she rose to the occasion to defeat Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova in succession for the title. In 2014, the Czech compiled a more dominant stretch, dropping just one set to claim a second Wimbledon crown.
Martina Navratilova (1978-79, ’82-87, 90)
With 120 wins and nine titles in singles alone, you won’t find a more iconic lefty that Navratilova on the hallowed lawns of the All England Club. Fittingly, her first taste of Grand Slam singles success came here 45 years ago when she solved Chris Evert in the final. Among her SW19 dominance, Navratilova denied her greatest rival Evert five times in five championship tussles, and ran off six consecutive titles.
Ann Haydon Jones (1969)
During the Amateur Era, Jones twice celebrated titles at Roland Garros. She hadn’t been able to replicate that success at her home major, though came close in a 1967 runner-up finish to Billie Jean King. In her final Grand Slam singles appearance, Jones went out with a bang. She stormed back to avenge her defeat to King with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory, becoming the first lefty to win the women's event in 1969.
