Wimbledon's remarkable run of first-time champions continues
Spaniard Muguruza avenged her 2015 final defeat by Serena Williams and won her second grand slam title with a straight-sets win over 37-year-old five-time champion Venus Williams.
Muguruza, 23, saved two set points in the first set and won the last nine games in a 7-5 6-0 victory under the Centre Court roof.
German 11th seed Kerber spoiled Serena Williams' comeback as a new mother with a 6-3 6-3 success.
Williams had been the favourite despite competing in only her fourth tournament since giving birth to her daughter Olympia the previous September but Kerber, 30, added Wimbledon to her 2016 Australian Open and US Open crowns.
Williams reached the final again, her 11th appearance, but this time ran into 2018 French Open champion Halep.
The Romanian, 27, won 6-2 6-2 in only 56 minutes in front of a stunned Centre Court crowd and afterwards admitted it was her 'best match'.
With no Championships held in 2020 due to Covid, Australia's Barty took the next title by edging out Karolina Pliskova 6–3 6–7 (4) 6–3.
Barty never played at Wimbledon again, announcing her retirement from the sport the following March, as world number one, aged 25.
Wimbledon had banned Russians from the Championships due to the Ukraine invasion but Moscow-born 17th seed Rybakina claimed the title under the flag of Kazakhstan.
The 23-year-old hit back from dropping the first set to beat third seed Ons Jabeur 3-6 6-2 6-2, becoming the youngest winner since Petra Kvitova in 2011.
Jabeur reached the final again but the popular Tunisian was left heartbroken after 24-year-old Vondrousova became the first unseeded player to win the women's title.
The Czech won 6-4 6-4 to leave sixth seed Jabeur, 28, in tears after her third defeat in a grand slam final.
Another surprise Czech champion, 31st seed Krejcikova won a gripping final against Italian Jasmine Paolini 6–2 2–6 6–4.
An emotional victory meant Krejcikova, 28, emulated her late friend and coach Jana Novotna, who won the title in 1998.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal transfer news: Mikel Arteta faces £68m deal deadline as Gunners boss takes new role
Mikel Arteta has strengthened his Arsenal squad over the summer but last season's Premier League runners-up could have a bit more business to come between now and September 1 Arsenal have been one of the busiest Premier League teams this summer but their spending might not be over just yet. The Gunners have an A to Z of new signings - Arrizabalaga to Zubimendi, to be precise - but there will still be two weeks of the window to go after they begin their Premier League campaign against Manchester United on Sunday. The goal is to sign a player capable ot creating from deep and playing off the left of the front three in certain circumstances. More specifically, the goal is Ebere Eze, but things might not be straightforward. Manager Mikel Arteta indicated the spending isn't over if the right opportunity arrives. However, in order to meet Crystal Palace's asking price for Eze, they might need to raise funds through sales. Nuno Tavares and Marquinhos have both left, while Thomas Partey's release has freed up significant wage budget. Fabio Vieira, Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior could yet follow. There are two deadlines in place for Arsenal, though - not just September 1, when the window shuts. Here are Mirror Football 's latest lines from North London. Eze release clause deadline Arsenal only have until Friday to meet Ebere Eze's release clause at Crystal Palace. A bid of £68m would be enough to land the England star now, though Palace may yet accept a similar amount after the deadline. Moves for Fabio Vieira and Leandro Trossard are the most realistic sources of the funds for a move. Stuttgart want Vieira, with a fee of around £16m mooted, while Trossard has previously attracted interest from the Saudi Pro League. Funds could also be raised from other sources, with interest in Jakub Kiwior, Karl Hein and Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Gunners are also open to offloading Reiss Nelson, though no club has met their asking price. Arteta takes off-field role Mikel Arteta will be back in the dugout on Sunday as Arsenal kick off their league campaign. Before that, though, the Spaniard has been confirmed as brand ambassador and director of performance with sports brand Under Armour. 'The collaboration with Under Armour is the perfect opportunity for me to work with a partner committed to making young athletes better," Arteta said in a statement. 'I'm passionate about providing a platform for the next generation of players coming through in football and the top level of talent already signed with the brand demonstrates that Under Armour is too. 'We share the same mentality in always striving for more by finding new ways to innovate and disrupt the game at the top level. Our values in pursuing greatness are closely aligned and together, I'm confident we're going to achieve great things in football.' Eze told to turn down Arsenal Ebere Eze is understood to favour a move to Arsenal over joining rivals Spurs. However, former Gunners star Theo Walcott isn't convinced the move would be the right one for him. "I think the big question or the big thing we've got to look at is that it is World Cup year," Walcott said on It's Called Soccer. "As a player, if it's a World Cup year, I'm thinking, 'I'm going to play consistently for Palace this year, so if I'm Eze, for instance, my thought process: obviously Arsenal is a different kind of pressure." He suggested Eze would have different responsibilities if he moves, adding: "The good thing thing about Eze's situation is that he can play every week and he has that maverick style that he accepts making and taking those risks. I think he's a player that can take those risks at Palace. I don't think he will get that at Arsenal."
Spectator
6 hours ago
- Spectator
Nothing can save test cricket
Forgive me if I don't join the general 'Make mine a treble' hoo-ha about the future of Test cricket after the theatre of the final day of the Oval Test against India, as an injured Chris Woakes made his way to the crease. Why was Woakes ever allowed to bat? His shoulder was dislocated and he was clearly in agony. Of course he wanted to help his country but he should have been stopped by Ben Stokes or Baz McCullum. This was a game of cricket, not the search for the nuclear codes. We knew the last pair would have to run to try to keep Woakes off the strike. What if he had tripped? That happens on cricket pitches – a lot. And what if he had had to face a ball? Some poor Indian bowler would have had to work out what to do with a very hard ball that he was about to hurl at somebody seriously injured. I love a plucky last-wicket stand as much as the next man but Woakes should not have been out there, whatever he was willing to do. The series was certainly thrilling, with the right result. As for the scheduling, it seems a pity that Test cricket is now over halfway through the summer. White ball series against South Africa and Ireland in September are not much to look forward to. The cricket calendar is a mess with no solution in sight. Test cricket is well and truly alive in England and Australia when England or India are touring, but that's about it. Tests in the West Indies are all but over except when they can be staged as tourism events for English visitors. It's heading the same way in Sri Lanka and South Africa. Unless we are careful, Test cricket will soon be like riding a penny farthing in a top hat. Nice and vaguely skilful but nobody gives a damn. I am sure there will still be an Ashes in a decade but viewed as a period piece. All fine and dandy but teetering on the brink of pastiche. How cheery to see two palindromic footballers up against each other when Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike met Palace's Eberechi Eze in the season's opener. Palace seems to be a haven for palindromes, with the likeable Romain Esse yet to step out for the Eagles. Palindromic footballers are not that common though scholars might recall Marcelo Salas, the scary-looking Chile striker, or Massimo Oddo, the Milan academy coach. It's tennis where palindromic players flourish, with three grand slam-winning palindromes. Monica Seles and Marin Cilic spring to mind; Lottie Dod is more difficult to recall, though she won Wimbledon five times in the late 19th century and is still the youngest ladies' singles champion at 15. Invented 500 years ago by Scotsmen knocking pebbles around in sand dunes, golf continues to be a funny old game, as we were reminded last Sunday when Englishman Justin Rose kept on winning at the age of 45, while his 34-year-old compatriot Tommy Fleetwood kept on losing. Rose's victory in the $20 million St Jude Classic was his 12th on the US PGA tour; Fleetwood on the other hand has played 162 events on the tour without winning, despite coming close several times. He has the highest PGA tour earnings without a victory, having trousered more than $31.4 million for the honour of being a perpetual loser. Why is it, however, that men of a certain age tend to stop winning golf events when a 50-year-old is just as capable as a 20-year-old of reaching the green of a par-four hole in two shots? Experts say it is the putting that sorts the old men from the boys. Rose's defiance of the putting yips is remarkable; he puts it down to physical fitness and concentrating on 'the feel of the stroke' rather than the outcome. A concept that might have baffled those early Scottish pioneers as much as the fact that Rose has picked up £54.5 million in prize money – and that's just on the PGA tour.
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Thomas Frank proud of Spurs players as ‘special operation' fails against PSG
Champions League winners PSG, who only returned to pre-season last week following their Club World Cup exploits in July, fought back impressively – with substitute Kang-in Lee pulling one back with five minutes left before Goncalo Ramos grabbed an equaliser in the fourth-minute of stoppage-time. It was initially advantage Tottenham in the shoot-out when Vitinha missed PSG's first kick and Rodrigo Bentancur put the Premier League club two up, but it was followed by Van de Ven and Mathys Tel failing to score as Frank's competitive debut ended in a 4-3 shoot-out defeat after a 2-2 draw. Tottenham lost out on penalties (Adam Davy/PA) The Danish coach paid tribute to his squad after he lined them up in a back-three formation to largely good effect, in a fixture where they constantly looked a threat at set-pieces. 'Very, very proud of the players, the team, the club, the fans,' Frank reflected. 'I think the players gave everything, playing against one of the best teams in the world, maybe the best at the moment and I think we were 75, 80 minutes perfect. Almost giving nothing away. 'I knew we had to do something a little bit different against PSG. It was a special operation. In medical terms, the operation succeeded but the patient died, so not that good in the end. 'But we worked on a gameplan that was a little bit different and very close to succeeding. 'First and foremost I'm extremely proud of the team, the players, the fans, the Club.' Thomas Frank's reaction 🗣️ — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 13, 2025 'It was a little bit of special operation because it clearly went in spells a little bit more direct, because we knew that we could hurt them there. Big, big focus on the set pieces, from all areas of the pitch, but we will have focus on set pieces no matter what.' Frank's game-plan had worked perfectly until the 85th minute – with Van de Ven's opener just reward for a disciplined and dynamic Tottenham first-half display. Romero's header from Pedro Porro's free kick three minutes after the break had Spurs fans in dreamland, which remained the case as they put bodies on the line to thwart PSG until a raft of substitutes by Luis Enrique helped tip the scales. New Tottenham boss Frank promised to swiftly lift morale before Saturday's Premier League opener at home to Burnley, adding: 'Every game matters. 'I think if you look on the face of the players and all of us, we are hugely disappointed and I have my rule for 24 hours. I can be disappointed for 24 hours. 'We want to compete in a lot of different tournaments and if you want to do that, you need to be ready to do a quick turnaround and go again. I'll make sure the players are ready and come flying out on Saturday.' Luis Enrique was honest in his assessment of PSG, who competed in the Club World Cup final exactly a month ago. 'To be honest, I'm not sure we deserved this trophy,' the Spanish coach admitted. 'The difference was stark between Tottenham. They've had six weeks of preparation and we've had six days. 'It was huge and we were trying to play our football and just couldn't for the first 80 minutes. We had a lot of poor passes and maybe we were lucky. Lady Luck was smiling on us.'
