Given that the 2025 Livesport Prague Open began by setting an Open Era Czech record, it feels both appropriate and inevitable the tournament will end with an all-Czech final on home soil.

On Friday, No. 5 seed Marie Bouzkova ended 18-year-old compatriot Tereza Valentova’s breakthrough run 6-4, 7-5, coming from 5-3 down in the second set. She was followed by No. 1 seed Linda Noskova, who fulfilled her part of the deal with a 6-4, 6-1 win over No. 4 seed Wang Xinyu.

Saturday’s final marks the ninth all-Czech showdown on the Hologic WTA Tour since the Czech Republic gained independence in 1993. It’s the first since Nanchang 2023, where Katerina Siniakova defeated Marie Bouzkova, and the third in this tournament’s history after 2015 and 2021. Before 1993, there were three tour-level finals between players representing the former Czechoslovakia.

Prague: Scores | Draws | Order of play

The national tone of the week was set from the start, when eight Czech players won their openers to reach the last 16 — the first time this had occurred in the Open Era. Five of those made the quarterfinals, falling one short of the Open Era record of six (set at Prague 2015). Three out of four semifinalists tied the Open Era record, also set at Prague 2015.

The country’s conveyor belt of young talent was amply represented with several breakthroughs. Powerful 18-year-old Tereza Valentova, who has won two WTA 125 titles in the past two months, reached her first tour-level semifinal in just her second main draw at this level, notching her first Top 50 victory over No. 2 seed Rebecca Sramkova along the way. She will make her Top 100 debut next week.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Sara Bejlek reached her first tour-level quarterfinal and 17-year-old Alena Kovackova came through qualifying to make her WTA main-draw debut. Former junior No. 1 Lucie Havlickova also impressed. The 20-year-old, who only returned from a 15-month hiatus in May, reached the second round and held match point on Wang before falling 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(6).

Nonetheless, the title match will be contested by familiar faces. Both Noskova, 20, and Bouzkova, 27, have reached the Prague final for a second time. Bouzkova was the 2022 champion and Noskova the 2023 runner-up (to Nao Hibino). No. 47-ranked Bouzkova will be playing in her eighth career final and No. 23-ranked Noskova in her fourth, and both players will be seeking a second WTA title.

Bouzkova leads their head-to-head 2-1, including a 7-6(4), 6-3 win in the 2022 Prague semifinals — but Noskova was the victor in their most recent encounter, 6-1, 7-5 in the 2024 Australian Open first round.

The winner will be the sixth home champion at the tournament since 2015, when it became a WTA 250 event, following Karolina Pliskova (2015), Lucie Safarova (2016), Petra Kvitova (2018), Barbora Krejcikova (2021) and Bouzkova (2022).

The final is the fourth of 2025 between players from the same country following the all-American title matches in Adelaide, Austin and Charleston.

Flashback: All the previous all-Czech (and all-Czechoslovak) WTA finals in the Open Era

Nanchang 2023, Katerina Siniakova d. Marie Bouzkova 1-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4)
Prague 2021, Barbora Krejcikova d. Tereza Martincova 6-2, 6-0
New Haven 2015, Petra Kvitova d. Lucie Safarova 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2
Prague 2015, Karolina Pliskova d. Lucie Hradecka 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
Sydney 2015, Petra Kvitova d. Karolina Pliskova 7-6(5), 7-6(6)
Hobart 2009, Petra Kvitova d. Iveta Benesova 7-5, 6-1
‘s-Hertogenbosch 2005, Klara Koukalova d. Lucie Safarova 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
Brighton 1994, Jana Novotna d. Helena Sukova 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4

Prague 1992, Radka Zrubakova d. Katerina Kroupova 6-3, 7-5
Auckland 1991, Eva Sviglerova d. Andrea Strnadova 6-2, 0-6, 6-1
Adelaide 1988, Jana Novotna d. Jana Pospisilova 7-5, 6-4