Noskova tops Pegula in Berlin for second career title; secures Top 10 debut

Linda Noskova hadn’t had much luck in championship matches entering Sunday’s Berlin final. But with everything on the line, the 21-year-old changed the narrative, defeating Jessica Pegula 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in just under two hours to win the 2026 VANDA Pharmaceuticals Berlin Tennis Open.

The title is the second of Noskova’s young career and her first on grass, as she improved to 2-5 in WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz finals. The victory also guarantees her Top 10 debut on Monday, when she will also surpass Karolina Muchova as the new Czech No. 1.

"I definitely was not expecting this," Noskova said to press afterward. "Before coming to a tournament, you never really know what you can count on or how the tournament is going to go, especially when it's the very first one on grass this season. So I'm really happy to get off to a brilliant start. I was feeling my game for the whole week, so I couldn't be happier."

In Sunday's final, Noskova had plenty to contend with before she even stepped on court. A severe early-afternoon storm caused damage around the grounds and forced the evacuation of fans, pushing the final back five and a half hours from its scheduled start.

Instead of the anticipated matinee, the fans who made their way back inside Steffen Graf stadium were treated to a prime-time installment of Noskova vs. Pegula, Part IV. And it lived up to the billing, as Noskova pushed through three tight sets to improve to 3-1 against the current World No. 4.

Championship recap: Noskova extends front-running dominance

Entering Sunday's final, Noskova was 16-1 after winning the opening set, having taken 16 straight matches from one set up since her loss to Mirra Andreeva in Brisbane in January. Make that 17-1 after she jumped ahead again against Pegula.

Noskova won the first three games by doing what she had done all week: serving big and hitting her opponents off the court. She also flashed her more unheralded skills, covering the court superbly before a volley winner sealed the break for 2-0. She followed with in a six-deuce game, finishing it with a crosscourt backhand winner for 3-0. Pegula answered with three straight games to level at 3-3, but Noskova again came through in a marathon game to close out the set, converting her fourth set point of a five-deuce battle to break for a second time.

Pegula mounted another charge in the second set, winning 12 straight points from 3-3, 30-30 to 5-3, 0-30 to move within two points of taking the set. Noskova responded with four straight points to hold for 5-4, but Pegula served out the set in the next game to force a decider.

From there, Noskova rediscovered her first-set level, again breaking for 2-0 and racing to a 3-0 lead. Pegula couldn't conjure any third-set heroics like she did in the semifinal against Aryna Sabalenka, as Noskova dug deep to save two break points while serving at 4-2.

"Jess, she's a very tricky player," Noskova said. "She never gives up. She has a really good game for grass, so I obviously had to account for that fact, that it wasn't going to be easy at all. I will not give her the win, and she will not give me the win either. It was going to be one of those really tough matches that we always play.

"I'm very relieved I made it through this one."

Pegula saved one championship point on serve in the penultimate game to extend the match, but after losing three straight finals, Noskova wasn't going to let this one slip away. She closed with authority, firing a forehand winner to open the game, and after Pegula's final backhand sailed long, the Czech fell to the ground in celebration.

With the victory, Noskova became the second Czech woman to win a title Sunday, after Marie Bouzkova outlasted Emma Navarro in a three-hour thriller to claim the Nottingham crown. It's the fourth time two Czech women have won WTA singles titles on the same day, joining:

• Oct. 1, 2016: Petra Kvitova (Wuhan) and Karolina Pliskova (Tashkent)
• Jan. 7, 2017: Katerina Siniakova (Shenzhen) and Pliskova (Brisbane)
• Sept. 18, 2022: Linda Fruhvirtova (Chennai) and Siniakova (Portoroz)

Path to the title: Noskova nearly sweeps the competition in Berlin

When Noskova lost the second set to Pegula, it was the first set she had dropped all week. In wins over Renata Zarazua, Diane Parry, Paula Badosa and Alexandra Eala, Noskova took every set -- and did so in dominant fashion, losing more than three games in a set just once, in the second set against Eala in the semifinals.

It doesn't always happen in tennis, but this time, the most dominant player throughout the week went on to win the title. She made sure to leave no doubt.

The win over Pegula in the final was the 13th Top 10 victory of Noskova's career and her second of the season after beating Coco Gauff in Madrid. Now, she'll join those players in the Top 10 for the first time on Monday.

Wimbledon dark horse(s)?

Noskova finding this form comes at the perfect time with Wimbledon fast approaching. Often viewed as the most wide-open Grand Slam of the year, the Czech -- as well as Pegula -- should find themselves firmly in the mix at the All England Club.

Beyond her Berlin title, Noskova is also coming off her best Wimbledon showing, reaching the second week last year before falling in the fourth round to eventual finalist Amanda Anisimova in three sets.

Pegula, meanwhile, fell to 11-12 in WTA finals with Sunday's loss. While she will likely rue the missed chances to turn the match around and capture a 12th title, she leaves Berlin with plenty of encouragement, most notably her third-set performance against Sabalenka in the semifinals.

It lends hope that Pegula can put last year's first-round loss to Elisabetta Cocciaretto. She reached the quarterfinals in 2023 but has failed to make it out of the first week in her other five appearances.

But with two grass-court titles and the confidence of reaching her third final on the surface -- going through the World No. 1 to do so -- perhaps she, like Noskova, should be garnering more attention as a legitimate contender for a career-best Wimbledon run and potentially a first Grand Slam title.

Double the hardware: Noskova goes two-for-two, wins doubles title with Alexandrova

Delay after delay forced the second doubles semifinal and the final to Monday. But once the rain cleared and the dew settled, Noskova completed the Berlin sweep. She and Alexandrova closed out their previously suspended semifinal with a 6-3, 7-6 (7) victory over Ulrikke Eikeri and Quinn Gleason, then defeated No. 2 seeds Sara Errani and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 6-2, 6-4 in 65 minutes to claim the title.

It's another milestone for Noskova in a week full of them, marking her first WTA doubles title after losing her previous two finals. It's the third doubles title for Alexandrova and her second of the season, following her win at the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi with Maya Joint in February.

Noskova and Alexandrova's straight-sets wins on Monday capped their dominant run to the title. They didn't drop a set all week.