Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur has avenged her defeat to Elena Rybakina in last year’s Wimbledon final by triumphing in their latest clash at the tournament on Wednesday.
Jabeur, who is the first Arab player in history to contest a major final, staged an emphatic comeback to defeat the reigning champion 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1. In doing so she has become the first woman to reach back-to-back semi-finals at the grasscourt major since Serena Williams and now leads Rybakina 3-2 in their head-to-head.
In what was a topsy-turvy encounter on Center Court, Jabeur’s latest performance featured a total of 35 winners against 18 unforced errors. More crucial was the fact she managed to break her Kazakh rival five times.
“It should have gone my way,” Jabeur said on court of the first set. “I honestly doubted a little bit. I kept yelling at my coach saying you told me to play like this, look what’s happening. But I kept believing that this was the plan. I think I’m going to write a book about my emotions.”
Rybakina was first to draw blood four games into the match with the help of a nightmare service game from her opponent who hit four consecutive unforced errors to drop serve. Then it was Jabeur’s turn to hit back as the Tunisian broke back to love instantly in the next game. The rollercoaster continued into the business end with the world No.6 breaking for a 6-5 lead and then had a chance to serve the set out but she failed to do so.
Missing her chance, third seed Rybakina held her nerve to prevail in a tense tiebreaker. In the end, it was a couple of costly Jabeur mistakes coming from her forehand side that made the difference as the defending champion soared to a 6-3 lead. Three points later she sealed the set with the help of a 116 mph serve down the centre of the court which her opponent returned out.
The dogfight continued into the second set with both players having their chance to exert their dominance. Each of them had multiple break point opportunities during six games contested but neither of them could convert. Eventually, it was crowd favourite Jabeur who prevailed with the help of some deep hitting towards the baseline to break the Rybakina serve to take set number two. Triggering an almighty cheer from fans.
Continuing her momentum, an inspired Jabeur stormed to a 3-0 lead in the decider with the help of some cleverly crafted forehand slices that drew errors from across the court. The onslaught began to panic Rybakina who opted to go for all-out power and hope for the best. However, it wasn’t enough as Jabeur stormed to the finish line and let out a huge roar straight after winning.
“I wish we can exchange this match from the final last year if I can,” Jabeur joked.
“I’m very happy with the performance. There was a lot of emotion out there especially playing someone who serves well. It’s frustrating to return but I’m glad I did everything, shouted, got angry then got calm and focused. Hopefully, I can keep managing my emotions like this for the next few matches.”
In tomorrow’s semi-final, Jabeur will play Aryna Sabalenka who beat Madison Keys 6-2, 6-4. It is the third consecutive major tournament where Sabalenka has reached at least the last four. Her win-loss record at these events now stands at 17-1 in 2023.
“Since I was little I was dreaming of a Wimbledon title. Wimbledon is just different, it’s more special,” she said. “It will be a tough battle. I am looking forward to it.”
“It feels amazing to be back in the semi-finals. I can’t wait to play in my second semi-final at Wimbledon and hopefully, I can do better than last time!” She added.
Jabeur trails Sabalenka 1-3 in their head-to-head with her sole victory being in their first meeting at the 2020 French Open.
