Wimbledon: Ons Jabeur ended the run of 103rd-ranked Tatjana Maria on Friday to reach her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon.
With a 6-2 3-6 6-1 victory over her good friend from Germany, the third seed became the first African woman and Arab player in the Open Era to advance to a major final.
Jabeur was gracious in victory, ensuring that her friend Maria shared in the applause at the end after they had hugged at the net.
“I want to say it is a dream come true after years and years of work. I am really happy it pays off and I continue for one more match now,” said the Tunisian, who next faces Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan in Saturday’s final.
“I definitely wanted to share the moment with Tatjana at the end because she is such an inspiration for so many players, including me, coming back after two babies. I still can’t believe how she did it.”
Jabeur has had an outstanding year after winning the title in Birmingham last summer and reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
She is now ranked third in the world after a strong clay-court season and another grass-court title in Berlin, where she reached her first Grand Slam final.
Jabeur proved too strong for Maria in the end, but the mother-of-two went down fighting after completing her incredible 35th appearance at a major in the semi-final stage.
Tatjana Maria had never reached the second week of a Grand Slam before this summer, and had only given birth in April, but she was defeated by first-time finalist Jabeur.
The third seed was broken in the fourth game of the second set after a fantastic exchange of drop shots and slices, displaying his trademark powers of recovery.
A double-fault almost immediately let Jabeur back in, but superior defensive skills from Maria, who was making some incredible lob shots with her back to the wall, clinched another key hold.
Despite a first set point that came and went, largely due to Jabeur’s brilliance at the net, Maria did force a decider after one of her more comfortable service games.
Jabeur had carried a heavy burden of expectation for a long time, but she had handled it admirably thus far and would do so again.
The 27-year-old found her best tennis at a crucial time in her career here.
Jabeur scented blood after a double-handed backhand winner with both feet off the grass, and when Maria double-faulted midway through the next game.
A stunning forehand down the line secured a decisive break, and a second followed, propelling the Tunisian into his first Grand Slam final.
“I want to go bigger, inspire many more generations,” Jabeur said at her press conference. Tunisia has linked to the Arab world as well as the African continent. We’d like to see more players in the area.
“It’s not like Europe or any other countries. I want to see more players from my country, from the Middle East, and from Africa. I think we didn’t believe enough at a certain point that we can do it. Now I’m just trying to show that. Hopefully, people are getting inspired.”
