At Wimbledon, Jabeur 1st woman from Africa in pro Slam final

Clinical Rybakina eases past Halep to reach Wimbledon final

Ons Jabeur’s steady progress from year to year – up the tennis rankings, through the draws of various tournaments and, now, at Wimbledon – has carried her to a Grand Slam singles final, the first woman from Africa to make it that far in the professional era.

The No. 3-seeded Jabeur, a 27-year-old from Tunisia, got past her good friend Tatjana Maria 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in an up-and-down semifinal at a sun-splashed Centre Court on Thursday.

Jabeur is on quite a run right now: She has won 11 consecutive matches and 22 of her past 24. Since pro players were first admitted to major tennis tournaments in 1968, never had an African been to a final. She also is the first Arab woman to get that far.

“I´m a proud Tunisian woman standing here today. I know in Tunisia, they´re going crazy right now. I just try to inspire, really, as much as I can,” she said. “I want to see more and more – not just Tunisian – Arab, African players on tour. I just love the game and I want to share this experience with them.”

Jabeur will face 2019 champion Simona Halep or No. 17 seed Elena Rybakina for the championship on Saturday. Halep and Rybakina were scheduled to play their semifinal at the All England Club later Thursday.

The men´s semifinals are Friday, with three-time defending champion and No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic facing No. 9 Cameron Norrie of Britain, and 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal against unseeded Nick Kyrgios. Nadal shed doubt on whether he´d even be able to show up for his semifinal after struggling through a five-set victory over Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.

Nadal held a limited practice session Thursday, mostly sticking to forehands and backhands. When he did try serving, which was a real problem a day earlier, he did so without using full force or throwing his body behind his deliveries. Jabeur has been rising in the tennis world in recent seasons. In 2020, at the Australian Open, she became the first Arab woman to reach the quarterfinals at a major. Last year produced all sorts of milestones: first Arab player to break into the top 10 of the men´s or women´s rankings, first Arab to win a WTA title and a quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon.

Now she’s done that two steps better.

“I really don´t know what to say. It´s a dream coming true from years and years of work and sacrifice. I´m really happy it´s paying off,” Jabeur said through a wide smile. “One more match now.”

When she closed out the biggest victory of her career, she and Maria – a 34-year-old mother of two from Germany who is ranked 103th – met at the net for an extended hug. Jabeur whispered something in her pal’s ear. Then, after depositing her racket on the sideline, Jabeur returned to the middle of the court for the usual victor’s wave to the crowd – except, instead of going alone, she playfully tugged Maria along with her, an uncommon gesture.

“I definitely wanted to share the moment with her at the end, because she´s such an inspiration for so many players, including me,” Jabeur said. “Coming back after having two babies – I still can´t believe how she did it.”

Before their semifinal, Jabeur and Maria stood beside each other, waiting to take the walk through the halls of the stadium that lead to the court. Close as they are, the pair avoided exchanged any glances or chatter.

Close friends, yes. On this day, opponents, too, with quite the setting, stage and stakes.

Neither had been to a Grand Slam semifinal previously. Maria never had been past the third round in any of her 34 prior appearances at major tournaments – and she only got that far once, at Wimbledon in 2015.

The two hang out together frequently. They are, to use Jabeur´s term, “barbecue buddies.” Jabeur knows Maria´s two daughters so well that the German referred to her as “Aunt Ons.”

Maybe that´s why neither played displayed much in the way of emotion during the match, even after terrific points. Sure, Jabeur put her hands on her hips and Maria smiled sheepishly after one lively exchange with both at the net. And Jabeur held her left fist overhead after one particularly difficult yet effective running, twisting forehand across her body for a passing winner. Maria raised her right arm after going up 5-2 in the second set.

They offer unusual brands of speed-mixing, variety-filled tennis. On the second point of the match, Jabeur won a point by using a drop shot on a return of serve. Maria loves to hit slice forehands; Jabeur, quite capable of powerful groundstrokes, joined in on that occasionally.

Elena Rybakina powered into the Wimbledon final by dismantling former champion Simona Halep 6-3 6-3 on Thursday 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 to set up a Saturday showdown with Tunisian Ons Jabeur.

Halep, the champion in 2019 who had not dropped a set at the All England Club since the second round of that tournament, 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.

“I don’t know how to describe it but it was really, really good,” the 23-year-old said after wrapping up victory to become the youngest Wimbledon finalist since Garbine Muguruza in 2015. “Usually, of course, I have ups and downs and it comes from the nerves. But I think today I was mentally prepared and I did everything that I could and it was an amazing match.”

The Centre Court crowd had willed Halep to get into the contest but the 16th seed was a clear second best from the start as she attempted to go toe-to-toe from the back of the court.

Rybakina just had too much power and aggression for the Romanian, who seemingly wilted under the pressure. The opening point of the match had set the tone for remainder of the clash as Rybakina powered down a 113 mph service winner, before holding serve to love and immediately breaking to take control.

Halep looked under pressure throughout the opening set, failing to create a break point while Rybakina pounced on a series of tame second serves from the 30-year-old Romanian and looked a constant menace.

Cool as ice, Rybakina, who would not have been allowed to play at this year’s Wimbledon had she not switched allegiance from Russia in 2018, brought up three set points with another searing 118 mph ace and took the opener when Halep sent a forehand wide.

The All England Club (AELTC), which organises the Grand Slam, and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) banned players from Russia and Belarus at tournaments in Britain following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a ‘special operation’. Halep, who had missed the 2020 edition of Wimbledon due to injury and contemplated retirement last year, had looked like a player rejuvenated as she stormed into the semi-finals.