Marketa Vondrousova beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka at the Berlin Open and has reached her first final since winning the 2023 Wimbledon title.
Vondrousova has been recovering from shoulder surgery and ranked 164th in the world, playing the role of Wang Xinyu, a Chinese qualifier in a performance in Germany on Sunday, 6-2 6-4.
“I haven’t played for a long time. I’m so happy to be back healthy and thank you very much for participating in these competitions,” Czech Vondrousova said on the WTA Tour website.
“When I see the field here, I’m like, ‘Okay, let’s try to win the first round’ and then, you know, that’s happening right now.”
Sabalenka retained two breakout points in the first game but was broken in her second service match and again reached 5-2 in the first set.
The three-time Grand Slam champion blocked once in a second request to lead 2-0, but Vondrousova beat immediately.
What followed was that game that followed until 25-year-old Vondrousova broke through 5-4 and then played.
Wang entered her first WTA singles final with a 6-4 6-1 win over 2021 Berlin Open champion Liudmila Samsonova in another semifinal.
“This week is a dream for me,” Wang said. “Every game, I didn’t expect it to be really just to enjoy the stage.”
