https://www.myjoyonline.com/wimbledon-ghanaian-italian-paolini-loses-to-krejcikova-in-final/-------https://www.myjoyonline.com/wimbledon-ghanaian-italian-paolini-loses-to-krejcikova-in-final/

Barbora Krejcikova held off a charge from Jasmine Paolini in a gripping final at Wimbledon to claim her second Grand Slam singles title.

The 31st seed followed in the footsteps of 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova to make it back-to-back triumphs for the Czech Republic in the women's singles.

Krejcikova, a French Open winner in 2021, held her arms aloft as she sealed a 6-2 2-6 6-4 victory on her third championship point.

Krejcikova's win comes 26 years after Jana Novotna won her only Grand Slam title, lifting the trophy she most wanted having famously cried on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent five years previously following defeat by Steffi Graf.

Novotna took a teenage Krejcikova under her wing but died of cancer in 2017 aged 49 before she could see her protege flourish in the professional game.

With this victory, Barbora Krejcikova will spring up 22 places in the rankings from 32nd to 10th.

More importantly, she has her hands on the Venus Rosewater Dish trophy and she is the 2024 Wimbledon women's singles champion.

Paolini, who has Ghanaian heritage, had never won a match at Wimbledon before this tournament, before putting together an amazing run to the final.

The Italian will be up to a career-high of fifth in the world, up from seventh, when the rankings are updated on Monday.

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