Linda Noskova stared at the Wimbledon trophy and willed herself to believe that it had not slipped through her fingers.The 21-year-old put a dramatic second-set collapse behind her to win her first grand slam title in a wild women’s singles final.The winner of the all-Czech clash between Noskova and Karolina Muchova was guaranteed to be the third woman from the central European country to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish in the last four years.Linda Noskova kisses the Venus Rosewater Dish (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)But it was another former Czech champion, the late Jana Novotna, that came to mind when Noskova blew a 5-2 lead in the second set and five match points to send the contest to a decider.Novotna’s tears on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent after she squandered an apparently decisive advantage against Steffi Graf in the 1993 final remains one of Wimbledon’s most famous moments.Novotna had to wait until 1998 for her cathartic winning moment but Noskova, playing in her first grand slam final, impressively put the disappointment behind her to claim a 6-2 5-7 6-3 victory.Noskova had ended the second set with her hands clamped over her ears to drown out the cheers of the crowd for her opponent, but heading off court for a bathroom break helped her reset.“I was just telling myself that the match is starting over,” she said. “I was in the bathroom. I just splashed some cold water on me, started over again.“But what really helped me, the first step I took off court, the trophies were there. I was like, ‘I’m not going to take the small one, I’m taking the big one. I have been so close. This will probably be the heartbreak of my life’.“If I’m going to leave my soul on court in the third set, whatever that be. I just kind of started to focus on myself all over again, which was the key point.”Noskova is the youngest women’s champion since another Czech, Petra Kvitova who was watching from the Royal Box, in 2011 and follows in the footsteps of 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova and 2024 winner Barbora Krejcikova.She admitted the situation had got to her as the match points came and went across three different games, with Noskova double-faulting on the only chance on her serve.“My hand kind of froze at certain moments,” she said. “My feet were not as quick as they had been before.”Linda Noskova sits with a towel over her head (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)The key game in the match turned out to be the opener of the third set, when 29-year-old Muchova, playing in her second grand slam final after losing the French Open decider three years ago, forced three break points bidding for a sixth game in a row.But Noskova held on and opened up an immediate lead that this time she did not give up, converting her sixth match point with an unreturnable serve and dropping to the court in delight.Both women were emotional in the on-court interviews after receiving their trophies from the Princess of Wales.Noskova was unable to hold back the tears as she paid tribute to her mother, Ivana, who died from cancer two years ago.Karolina Muchova ensured the contest went to an unlikely deciding set (Mike Egerton/PA (PA Wire)“There’s also one more person I would like to thank, which is my mum. I definitely would not be standing here without her so thank you,” said Noskova, blowing a kiss to the sky.Muchova struggled to begin her interview through her own tears but praised her young compatriot, saying: “It’s really tough to find any words.“I’ll start with Linda, my ex-friend. I’m kidding, obviously – kind of. You’re so young and this was your first final of a grand slam and the way you handled it and the way you played, it was unbelievable.”Muchova has struggled with wrist problems since her run to the French Open final and she was left with mixed feelings after making it back to the showpiece.“It will definitely take me a few days, but I was in the finals,” she said. “It’s still a pretty great achievement. It’s still something I would take before the tournament.“I think my game is good. I’m improving so I feel good on the court. It’s a dream of mine to lift that grand slam trophy. This is a setback, but as well a motivation.”