Madrid Open: Ons Jabeur becomes first Arab player to reach WTA 1000 final

Madrid : The No. 8 seed Ons Jabeur on Thursday became the first Arab player to reach a WTA 1000 final after defeating qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets at Madrid Open 2022.

Ons defeated qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-3 in 61 minutes. The Tunisian opted to go toe-to-toe with Alexandrova in terms of first-strike tennis, racking up quick points with sheer power rather than relying on flashy hot shots.

Madrid will be Jabeur's second final of 2022, following her runner-up showing in Charleston last month, and her sixth career final in total.

Alexandrova's loss means that qualifiers are now 0-11 in WTA 1000 semifinals dating back to 2009. Jabeur is guaranteed to rise from No.10 to No.8 in the rankings next week, and a title would see her equal her career-high of No.7.

In total, Jabeur dropped just six points behind her first serve; and in the second set, her delivery reached untouchable heights. Landing 80% of her first serves, she conceded only four points in her service games overall.