Linda Noskova Beats Jessica Pegula to Claim 2026 Berlin Open Title
Berlin: Linda Noskova won the 2026 Berlin Open championship by defeating Jessica Pegula with sets of 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in the tough final on Sunday, winning the first grass court title of her career.
The victory marked Noskova’s second career WTA singles title and improved her record in WTA Tour finals to 2-5, according to the WTA website. The victory will also take the Czech star into the Top 10 of the WTA rankings for the first time, with Noskova overtaking Carolina Muchova to become the new Czech No. 1.
Noskova had a strong record of 16-1 in such matches when winning the first set since losing to Mirra Andreeva in Brisbane in January. She improved that to 17-1 after taking the opening set against Jessica Pegula in the final. Noskova got off to a bright start, winning the first three matches with her strong serve and aggressive shooting. She took a 2-0 lead after excellent court coverage and a volley win, then held a long service game to take a 3-0 lead. Pegula fought back to break back to 3-3, but Noskova persisted in a tight game to break again and take the set. In the second set, Pegula increased her level and went ahead from 3-3 to 5-3 and eventually won the set and made it to a decider.
In the third set, Noskova responded strongly, taking an early 2-0 lead and quickly taking a 3-0 lead. Although Pegula broke back and even saved a late championship point, Noskova remained steady. After Pegula’s last shot went long and she crowned the champion in style, she finished the match with a forehand winner. With the win, Linda Noskova became the second Czech woman to win the title after Marie Bouzkova defeated Emma Navarro in the three-hour final to lift the Nottingham Open on Sunday.
This marked the fourth time that two Czech women won the WTA singles title on the same day. According to the WTA website, previous examples were: October 1, 2016: Petra Kvitova (Wuhan) and Carolina Pliskova (Tashkent) January 7, 2017: Katerina Siniakova (Shenzhen) and Pliskova (Brisbane) September 18, 2022: Linda Fruhvirtova (Chennai) and Siniakova (Portoroz).
