June Shot of the Month: The point Noskova had no business winning

Linda Noskova had no business winning this point. Not on that rally. Not with Jessica Pegula standing at the net, ready to put away what looked like a straightforward overhead in the deciding set of their Bad Homburg semifinal.

But tennis can flip in the blink of a backswing, and Noskova made sure it did.

Pegula pulled her opponent from corner to corner until it looked like there was nowhere left to run. Then came the overhead. Pegula poised for a clean finish, the point practically over.

Somehow, Noskova found a way not only to reach the ball -- but to do something with it. Lunging, stretched out, she fired a backhand down the line. Clean winner. One of those moments that makes you double-take on replay.

The point wouldn’t change the match. Pegula, the No. 1 seed, eventually closed out the third set, booking her place in the Bad Homburg final and, later, the title. But Noskova’s scorcher was hot enough for our June Shot of the Month.