London ¨C For most 21-year-old players in their first Grand Slam final, squandering five match points from a position of complete domination would represent ?an existential crisis that would be impossible to recover from.
Linda Noskova proved she is made of tougher stuff, though, as she banished the mental demons and recovered her equilibrium to beat fellow Czech and friend Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in the Wimbledon showpiece.
When the No. 9 seed led 5-2 in the second set, it seemed only a matter of minutes before she would be lifting aloft the Venus Rosewater Dish on a sunlit ?Center Court and join an illustrious list of fellow Czechs to win the title.
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