ATP Tour

Arevalo/Ostapenko rally to clinch Wimbledon crown: ‘Just fight till the last moment’

Marcelo Arevalo and Jelena Ostapenko capped a dream week at Wimbledon Thursday when they edged Storm Hunter and Marc Polmans to capture the mixed doubles title at the grass-court major.

The second seeds produced a stirring comeback to defeat the Australian duo 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in a one-hour, 56-minute thriller on Centre Court, recovering from a set-and-a-break deficit to capture their maiden mixed doubles major title and their first Wimbledon crown.

“In the second set, we were down a break. But I told myself just fight till the last moment [and it worked],” Ostapenko said during the trophy ceremony. "Marcelo is an unbelievable player, such a positive person. These positive vibes helped us a lot.”

The title is a third major trophy for Ostapenko. The 29-year-old won the Roland Garros women’s singles crown in 2017 and the women’s doubles trophy at the US Open in 2024 with Lyudmyla Kichenok.

Following Thursday’s triumph, Arevalo also secured his third Grand Slam title and became the first player from El Salvador to be crowned a Wimbledon champion. The 35-year-old will have a chance to leave London with more glory on Saturday when he competes in the men’s doubles final alongside Mate Pavic.

“It means a lot, coming from El Salvador, a country that is not known for tennis,” Arevalo added. “I’m just grateful to be here… I just want to keep inspiring [the people] in my country and the kids in my country to make them believe that when you put a lot of effort and you believe in your dreams, you can achieve big things in life.”

Despite the defeat, Polmans expressed his happiness and congratulated Arevalo and Ostapenko on their triumph.

“I loved every second here this afternoon,” Polmans said. “Thank you, everyone, for the awesome atmosphere. It was a very close match. Congrats to Jelena and Marcelo. Great match. I enjoyed it out here.”