IMAGO / Hasenkopf
Ons Jabeur advanced to her first Grand Slam final after defeating Tatjana Maria, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 on Thursday.
The No. 3 seed became the first Arab player to reach a major final with the win. Jabeur is also the first African woman to reach a Grand Slam final during the Open era. During Saturday’s final, the Tunisian player will either face 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep or No. 17 seed Elena Rybakina.
Prior to Jabeur, the only other Tunisian to reach the WTA top 100 in rankings was Selima Sfar, peaking at No. 75 in July 2001. Jabeur, 27, has continued to break records for her country, including becoming the first Tunisian:
- to reach a WTA final (Moscow 2018)
- to make a Grand Slam quarterfinal (’20 Australian Open)
- to break into the Top 50 (which occurred a month later)
- to win a WTA title (Birmingham ’21)
Jabeur went on to make her Top 10 debut in October last year.
During the deciding set against Maria, the Tunisian broke the first time Grand Slam semifinalist twice to edge to a 5-0 lead. Jabeur has only dropped two sets this tournament.
“I’m a proud Tunisian woman standing here today,” Jabeur said in her on-court interview, per CNN, “and I know in Tunisia they’re going crazy right now.
“I just try to inspire really as much as I can. I want to see more and more, not just Tunisian, but Arab and African players on tour. I just love the game and I want to share this experience with them.”
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