Lyudmyla Kichenok becomes first Ukrainian to win Wimbledon title, in mixed doubles

Lyudmyla Kichenok has become a Wimbledon champion, winning the mixed doubles tournament. The Ukrainian tennis player defeated the Belgian-Chinese pair Joran Vliegen and Yifan Xu in the final.

Source: Suspilne Sport

Details: Kichenok was the last Ukrainian tennis player to play at Wimbledon. Elina Svitolina had battled to reach the women's finals, but she was defeated by her Czech opponent Marketa Vondrousova.

Kichenok, paired with Croatian Mate Pavic, defeated four rivals to get to the finals. In the semi-finals, the representatives of Ukraine and Croatia knocked out the British duo of Jonny O'Mara and Olivia Nicholls.

In the final, the Ukrainian-Croatian pair, seeded second, met Vliegen and Xu. This match, held on Centre Court, closed the day’s play at Wimbledon.

How the Wimbledon mixed doubles final unfolded:

• In the first set, Kichenok and Pavic smashed their opponents' serve, taking the lead with a score of 4-3. The advantage gained was enough to win the set 6-4.
• Kichenok and Pavic finished the second set on a tie-break. Neither of the pairs managed to break their rivals’ serve. 
• In the tie-break, Kichenok and Pavic had two chances to end the match with the second set. However, they were unable to take advantage of them – instead, the Belgian and Chinese players snatched victory and pushed the match to a third set.
• In the decisive set, the Ukrainian-Croatian duo made a break with the score at 4-3, and in the final game they earned the match point and won. The last victorious blow was inflicted by Kichenok.

The result of the Wimbledon mixed doubles final is as follows: Mate Pavic (Croatia)/Lyudmyla Kichenok (Ukraine) – Joran Vliegen  (Belgium)/Yifan Xu (China) 2-1 (6-4, 6-7, 6-3).

Kichenok has achieved the first victory by a Ukrainian tennis player at a WTA tournament in the mixed doubles. Before this, she had only won in doubles – eight titles.

This is also the first time a Ukrainian player has won at Wimbledon and the first victory by a Ukrainian player at a Grand Slam mixed doubles tournament in history.

It is, however, the second Grand Slam title won by Ukrainian tennis players. In 2008, Olena and Kateryna Bondarenko became the doubles champions at the Australian Open. There has been no final involving Ukrainian players since then.

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