Ons Jabeur Becomes First Arab Player to Reach Grand Slam Final

LONDON: Tunisian player Ons Jabeur's trailblazing took her all the way into the Wimbledon 2022 final after triumphing 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 over Tatjana Maria in a 1-hour, 43-minute semifinal clash, here on Thursday.

With the win, Jabeur becomes the first Tunisian, first Arab and first African woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open Era.

She will face Elena Rybakina in the title clash on Saturday.

Rybakina powered into the final by dismantling former champion Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 with a clinical display to reach her maiden Grand Slam showpiece.

Halep was caught in the crosshairs of an onslaught from the Russian-born Kazakh, who pummelled her Romanian opponent with rasping serves and savage forehands.

Halep, the champion in 2019, did not help her cause, with a string of double faults to hand Rybakina chances at key moments. Yet the 17th seed needed little assistance, as she became the first player from Kazakhstan to reach a Grand Slam final.

Ever since cracking the Top 50 in February of 2020, Jabeur has been setting records for her country and region. Having won 22 of her past 24 matches, the 27-year-old has given herself the opportunity to go for the biggest milestone of all.

"It is a dream come true after years and years of work and sacrifice. I'm really happy it is paying off and now there is one more match to come," said Jabeur.

"I'm a proud Tunisian woman here today and I know in Tunisia they are going crazy right now.I try to inspire as much as I can and I want to see more Arab and African players on the tour," she added.

Before Jabeur, the only Tunisian to reach the Top 100 of the WTA rankings was Selima Sfar, who peaked at No 75 in July 2001. Jabeur became the first player from her country to reach a WTA final at Moscow 2018 to make a Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2020 Australian Open, and to crack the Top 50 a month later, to win a WTA title at Birmingham 2021, paving the way for a Top 10 debut in October last year.

This season began on a negative note for Jabeur when she was forced to pull out of the Australian Open due to a back injury. But since returning in February, she has gone from strength to strength.

Her overall 2022 record is 36-9, including final appearances in five of her last seven events and titles in two of them, Madrid on clay and Berlin on grass. Including the latter, Jabeur is now on her second 10-match winning streak of the year. Agencies

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