Ons Jabeur defeats Aryna Sabalenka to reach her Wimbledon final

WIMBLEDON, England –

There was a time when Ons Jabeur may not have recovered from the deficit she suffered in the Wimbledon semifinals. A set lower. Short break. So close it’s only game after defeat.

She credits a sports psychologist who helped her understand how to handle those situations on the field, with managing to maintain her focus, keeping her shots on target. Thanks in part to that, and a steadfastness on Center Court on Thursday, Jabeur is on her way to a second consecutive final at the All England Club and her third title match in the past five Grand Slam tournaments.

Now she wants to win a trophy. Sixth-seeded Jabeur earned the right to play for one again by defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3.

“I’m very proud of myself because maybe my old self would have lost the game today and I would have already gone back home. But I’m glad I kept digging really deep and found the strength,” says Jabeur, a 28 year old. old from Tunisia, the only Arab woman and only North African woman to reach a grand final.

“I’m learning to turn the bad energy into a good one,” said Jabeur, explaining that she was able to get over the anger she felt after the first set. “Some things I can’t control: She can ace any minute. She can hit the big serve even if I have a break point. That’s a little frustrating. But I’m glad I accept it and I’m digging deep to just go and win this game – and, hopefully, this tournament.”

For this, Jabeur must pass Marketa Vondrousova, a left-hander from the Czech Republic, on Saturday. Vondrousova became the first unseeded women’s finalist at Wimbledon since Billie Jean King in 1963 by knocking out Elina Svitolina 6–3, 6–3.

So far Jabeur is 0-2 in the Slam final after losing to Elena Rybakina at the All England Club last July and to Iga Swiatek at the US Open last September.

Jabeur’s victory on Thursday, which came by collecting 10 of the last 13 matches, prevented No. 2 Sabalenka from replacing Swiatek at No. 1 in the rankings. Sabalenka entered the game with a 17-1 record at majors in 2023, including a trophy at the Australian Open.

“I’ve had so many chances,” said Sabalenka, a 25-year-old from Belarus who was banned from Wimbledon last year because all players from her country and from Russia were suspended due to the war in Ukraine. “In general, I didn’t play my best tennis today. It was just a combination of everything. A little bit of nerves, a little bit of luck for her on some points.”

Jabeur was down 4-2 in the second set as she started to turn things around. But not before Sabalenka came within one point of a 5-3 lead after Jabeur put a forehand into the net and fell onto her back on the grass of Center Court.

She dusted herself off and broke to take that game and begin her big comeback. When she delivered a backhand return winner to force the match to a third set, Jabeur put her right index finger to her ear, raised it, and wagged it as she stepped toward the substitution.

Sabalenka’s shots repeatedly missed the target. She finished with many more unforced errors than Jabeur: the margins were 14-5 in the final set and 45-15 for the match.

“I was a bit down emotionally, then she was up again. She just went for some crazy shots, which I would say she wouldn’t normally place,” said Sabalenka, who hit 10 aces but also doubled five times made. . “I would say at least I didn’t put much pressure on her on my serve.”

A break gave Jabeur a 4-2 lead in the third, but there was still some work to be done. Sabalenka, as powerful a striker as there is on tour, erased four match points before Jabeur converted her fifth with an ace of 103 mph.

In the first semifinal, Vondrousova won seven consecutive matches in one match. She is ranked 43rd and reached the second Grand Slam final of her career after making it this far at the 2019 French Open as a teenager.

The 76th ranked Svitolina returned from maternity leave just three months ago. After surprisingly beating Swiatek in the quarterfinals, she attempted to become the first woman from Ukraine to win the title match at a major tennis tournament.

Svitolina received loud support from thousands in the crowd in the main stadium – Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain sat in the Royal Box – as applause and shouts echoed from the closed roof.

Svitolina says she plays more calmly these days, something she attributed to the dual motivation of playing for her infant daughter, who was born in October, and playing for her homeland, where the ongoing war began in February 2022, when Russia invaded with aid. from Belarus.

“It’s a lot of responsibility, a lot of tension. I try to balance it as best I can. Sometimes it might get too much,” said Svitolina. “But I don’t want to make an excuse of it.”

Vondrousova missed about six months last season due to two surgeries on her left wrist. Last year she visited England with a cast on that arm to enjoy London as a tourist and to watch her best friend and doubles partner, Miriam Kolodziejova, try to qualify for Wimbledon.

“It’s not always easy to come back. You don’t know if you can play at this level and if you can get back on top and come back to these tournaments,” Vondrousova said. “I just feel like I’m just thankful to be back on a court, to be able to play painlessly.”