Wimbledon finalist forced to cover ears from cheers for opponent after blowing lead
Wimbledon finalist forced to cover ears from cheers for opponent after blowing lead
Joshua Mbu Sat, July 11, 2026 at 5:16 PM UTC
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Wimbledon finalist Linda Noskova covered her ears from cheers for Karolina Muchova (Image: ESPN)
Wimbledon finalist Linda Novoska was forced to cover her ears to block out cheers for Karolina Muchova after blowing several championship points and the second set. The 21-year-old was cruising toward becoming Wimbledon's youngest champion since 2011, after taking the first set with a commanding 6-2, before missing five championship points in the second set and blowing her lead and leaving the door cracked open for compatriot Muchova to stage a comeback.
Everything was going rosy for Noskova inside Center Court as she held a 5-2 advantage. However, that's where the problems began. All that was left was one more furious break of Muchova's serve, or serve out the game herself at the next time of asking.
Neither happened, and the Wimbledon finalists embarked on a tense back-and-forth, resulting in Muchova winning several consecutive games to wrap up Set 2 and force a decider. The 29-year-old, who has one Grand Slam final appearance to her name already, having lost to Iga Swiatek at 2023 Roland-Garros, was spurred on by the crowd, and it appeared to get all too much for Noskova, who covered her ears from the cheers as she walked back to her chair.
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It was a stark contrast from Noskova, who spent most of Sets 1 and 2 not playing like she was making her first Grand Slam final debut. Her serve and shot decision-making were impressive... until they weren't.
"Linda Noskova is covering her ears to block out the noise. Brutal," one fan said. "She needs to get a hold of her thoughts," another reacted. "Noskova is blocking her ears to block out the noise. Never seen this before," a third tweeted.
Noskova spent time with a towel over her head to recalibrate (Image: Getty)
"I get that Noskova blocking her ears is obviously an effort to calm down and center herself, but to Muchova, it must be such a boost to see her opponent being this visibly bothered by the moment," a fourth stated.
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Noskova also spent the changeover with a towel over her head. "Dramatic tension for sure...Noskova spent the changeover with a towel over her head. Which is either a smart way to handle distraction and stress.... or an unwanted tell," a fifth said.
Time in the timeout chair appeared to work for Noskova, though. She recalibrated, regrouped, and resurged. She took the first three games of Set 3, including a huge break on 2024 Paris Olympic teammate Muchova.
Noskova suffered a spectacular Set 2 collapse (Image: Getty)
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Source: “AOL Sports”
