Petra Kvitová defeated Maria Sharapova in the final, 6–3, 6–4 to win the ladies' singles title at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.[1] It was her first major title. Kvitová was the first player (men's or women's) born in the 1990s to win a major,[2] the first Czech to win the title since Jana Novotná in 1998, and the first left-hander to win the title since Martina Navratilova in 1990.
Serena Williams was the two-time defending champion, but was defeated in the fourth round by Marion Bartoli. With the loss of Venus Williams in the fourth round, it guaranteed a first-time major finalist from the bottom half of the draw. For the first time since 1913, all eight quarterfinalists came from Europe. This also marked the first Wimbledon main draw appearance of future champion Simona Halep, who lost in the second round to Serena Williams (incidentally, Halep would defeat Serena Williams to claim her Wimbledon title).[3]