Ons Jabeur

Since pro players were first admitted to major tennis tournaments in 1968, never had an African been to a final.

And then, just as suddenly, Jabeur switched back to her best self, pulling out to a 5-0 edge in the third in 20 minutes. After such a strong first set, Jabeur was far less effective in the second. Sure, Jabeur put her hands on her hips and Maria smiled sheepishly after one lively exchange with both at the net. 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. Maria raised her right arm after going up 5-2 in the second set. Jabeur has been rising in the tennis world in recent seasons. I just love the game and I want to share this experience with them." "I want to see more and more — not just Tunisian — Arab, African players on tour. Neither had been to a Grand Slam semifinal previously. Jabeur whispered something in her pal's ear. Since pro players were first admitted to major tennis tournaments in 1968, never had an African been to a final.

A new Grand Slam and Wimbledon champion will be crowned on Centre Court on Saturday, but not too many would have predicted an Ons Jabeur vs Elena Rybakina ...

However, nerves often lead to a one-sided final and in that case Jabeur with her care-free nature might just settle better. Rybakina has had a strange year and hasn’t had too much pressure during her run to the final. Can the Minister of Happiness do it when it really matters? She played well last year and this year she has had great results. Those types of players usually win in two or three shots, but I am just going to continue doing what I do on the court.” – Ons Jabeur “She serves really well, my mine goal is going to be to return as many balls as I can to make her really work hard to win the point. I think she can play very well on grass because she is aggressive and [can] change the rhythm. The Tunisian also claimed the W in the Chicago 500 in September last year as Rybakina retired while 4-6, 3-4 behind. Not too many people would have put money on Rybakina to reach the final as her form has been very inconsistent. Her only two defeats came in the final of the Italian Open against Iga Swiatek and a disappointing first-round defeat at the French Open. She followed that up with solid victories over Zheng Qinwen and Petra Matric before coming from a set down to beat Ajla Tomljanovic in the quarter-final. In Jabeur’s case, she is looking to become the first woman from Africa to win a major.

Jabeur, 27, made history at Wimbledon Thursday after she beat Germany's Tatjana Maria 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to make it to women's finals.

Jabeur has broken records for Tunisia and her region for the past four years. Maria fought back and broke Jabeur for a 3-1 lead in the second set, which she went on to win. Jabeur won the opening set when Maria smacked a backhand long.

Round: Final. Venue: London, United Kingdom. Category: Grand Slam. Surface: Grass. Prize money: £40,350,000. Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN ...

The Tunisian has also shown tremendous improvement on the mental side of her game in recent times. Jabeur might not have a serve as impressive as Rybakina's, but she certainly makes up for it with her solid ground game. Jabeur bounced back to avenge that defeat with a three-set win in Dubai in 2021. The Kazakh has a tailor-made game for grass. It was at the grasscourt Major that she finally rediscovered her rhythm again. Since then, it's been a struggle for the 23-year-old to match that high. Serves will make a huge difference in this contest. The achievement has enabled the trailblazing Tunisian to make history for her country. Her last couple of matches at Wimbledon have proved to be difficult, but the third seed was able to summon her best tennis on time to grab three-set wins in each. Moscow-born Kazakh Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, began the 2022 season in stellar fashion. Jabeur has been on a terrific run over the past few months. A shock first-round defeat at Roland Garros couldn't dent the 27-year-old's confidence.

Tunisia will organise an official reception for tennis player Ons Jabeur after she became the first Arab to reach a Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon, ...

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

The minister for happiness versus the Muscovite. A game for grass from a different Wimbledon era against power tennis. Tomorrow's women's final is a total ...

I feel for the players who couldn’t come here, but I’m just enjoying playing here on the biggest stage, enjoying my time.” But Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpischev was quick to add his name to those praising Rybakina. “It’s great that everything turned out this way, we will root for her,” he said. Her passage to the final, however, has left the All England Club shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur has reached the Wimbledon 2022 final after winning the semifinal against Tatjana Maria (6-2, 3-6, 6-1) in one hour and 43 ...

With this latest win, Jabeur has now won 10 matches in a row. She has been setting records for her country and region since she cracked the Top 50 in February of 2020. Overall, she has a 36-9 record in 2022, including five final appearances and two titles, Madrid on clay and Berlin on grass.

A place in the history books beckons for Jabeur or Rybakina as they become the first players from Tunisia and Kazakhstan to contest a grand slam final.

It was my main goal from the beginning of the season.” Her sunny disposition is reflected in the affectionate label given to her in Tunisia; the Minister of Happiness. “It’s nice of them to call me that. The ubiquitous smile married to the sense of camaraderie born of her slow rise through the tennis tiers can mislead. Ons has emerged as Tunisia’s smiling gift to the world, Rybakina the polished Kazakh jewel leaving her old world behind. I want to see more players from my country, from the Middle East, from Africa. They needed the player, I needed the cash, was the thrust of her justification. Tunisia is connected to the Arab world, is connected to the African continent. Usually it was the first and second round. If Rybakina’s Kazakhstan representation is entirely transactional, it means demonstrably more for Jabeur to be carrying the Tunisian flag on Centre Court. She is playing not only for herself but for something greater. “I think it was very good timing because they were looking for the player. It’s tough to find space growing up in the ultra-competitive swell of Moscow’s tennis ecosystem. When the conversion to Kazakhstan occurred four years ago Vladimir Putin was still flirting with Western conventions.

Jabeur and Rybakina had never made it beyond the quarter-finals of a major before this week.

On the prospect of meeting Kate, Rybakina said: “For sure it’s an honour and I’m going to be very excited for this moment no matter if I win or lose. But last year, Melanie reminded me, my mental coach, I told her I’m coming back next year for the title, when I lost in the quarter-finals. “I just love everything around here, the atmosphere and everything. I just love it here.” “Now I need really to hold the trophy, that’s the only thing left for me, but I believe in that. Usually it was the first and second round.

In addition, Jabeur will become the first Tunisian, Arab or African woman to play in a Grand Slam final, while Rybakina is the youngest Wimbledon finalist since ...

After nearly a decade of playing primarily at the ITF level, she began to feature more regularly on the WTA Tour in 2017. This included victory at the Hobart International. GiveMeSport Women predicts the outcome.

Jabeur and Rybakina had never made it beyond the quarter-finals of a major before this week.

On the prospect of meeting Kate, Rybakina said: “For sure it’s an honour and I’m going to be very excited for this moment no matter if I win or lose. But last year, Melanie reminded me, my mental coach, I told her I’m coming back next year for the title, when I lost in the quarter-finals. “I just love everything around here, the atmosphere and everything. I just love it here.” “Now I need really to hold the trophy, that’s the only thing left for me, but I believe in that. Usually it was the first and second round.

The first African player to reach a major tennis final, she has set Wimbledon – and Tunisian hearts – ablaze.

In the process she gives visibility to Tunisia and a whole continent with it. Thanks to Jabeur, there is a growing interest in women’s sport and women athletes in Tunisia and across the Arab world. In May 2022 her win at the Madrid Open made her the first Tunisian, Arab and African player to win a WTA 1000 tournament. Jabeur had won, but her only concern was to hurry over and comfort Bencic and help prepare a cooler of ice cubes for her injury. In Tunisia, young and old, men and women, are increasingly tuning in to TV broadcasts to follow her matches live. The tennis star was born on 28 August 1994 in Ksar Hellal, a small town in Tunisia. She comes from a middle class family and has two brothers and a sister.

Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina are set to compete for the first major title of their careers at the Wimbledon women's final 2022.

I just try to inspire as much as I can.” To get to this point Jabeur and Rybakina had to overcome opponents Tatjana Maria and Simona Halep, respectively, in the semi-finals. Jabuer said: “It’s a dream come true from years and years of work and sacrifice. Three decades of presenting has resulted in Sue Barker becoming synonymous with the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage, but this year will be her last covering the grand slam. Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina will compete in the first major final of their careers. Prior to this tournament, neither woman had advanced past the quarters at a major, but both are just one win away from a Wimbledon title.

History will be made at Wimbledon on Saturday with Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina both attempting to win their maiden grand-slam title in the women's singles final. The duo had never made it beyond the quarter-finals of a major before this summer but ...

On the prospect of meeting Kate, Rybakina said: “For sure it’s an honour and I’m going to be very excited for this moment no matter if I win or lose. But last year, Melanie reminded me, my mental coach, I told her I’m coming back next year for the title, when I lost in the quarter-finals. “I just love everything around here, the atmosphere and everything. I just love it here.” “Now I need really to hold the trophy, that’s the only thing left for me, but I believe in that. Usually it was the first and second round.

Not long after Wimbledon began this year, it became clear that the greatest obstacle between Ons Jabeur and a first grand slam final was likely to be ...

Against such a great server, the challenge for Jabeur will also be to take care of her own service games. The contrast between the two is stark and Jabeur, 27, will bring her deep toolbox of shots and unpredictable patterns in order to disrupt her opponent’s rigid offence however she can. Even though Rybakina is facing a completely different type of opponent in Jabeur, she will approach the final no differently, looking to attack, shorten points and impose herself. Rybakina wants rallies over as quickly as possible and on her way through the tournament she has done an excellent job of executing her full-power tennis. As she stands at 6ft, the challenge for her opponents is to absorb her first strike and exploit her relative lack of athleticism, whether by forcing her to move or lengthening the points. If she is to lift her first grand slam title, Jabeur will have to unpick a completely different style compared with anything she has faced so far and it will be a formidable challenge.

Ons Jabeur is the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam tennis final and a star in her homeland of Tunisia.

“The state should have commitments to a person like Ons, given the services rendered to the homeland and her contribution to giving a shining image of Tunisia,” he said. He said the symbolic title of “Minister of Happiness” used to describe Jabeur “is well deserved.” But he wants the government to give her a real title: He said Jabeur should be designated an official ambassador of Tunisia. TUNIS, Tunisia — Ons Jabeur — the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam tennis final — is such a star in her homeland that her father calls her “the daughter of all Tunisia” and the government wants to make her a special ambassador.

Ons Jabeur is already "a really good role model", but former British No 1 Laura Robson has told Tennis365 that the Tunisian's Wimbledon run will encourage ...

- Wimbledon - Wimbledon - Wimbledon “She handled herself incredibly well with every phase. She is a household name already. I see a lot of similarities to when Li Na won the Aussie Open a couple of years and seeing how women’s tennis in China really kicked off.