Friday 07 / February / 2025
LONDON: Ons Jabeur had an overwhelming decider and sweet revenge as she beat titleholder Elena Rybakina in a rematch of last year's final on Wednesday and powered into the semifinal at the Wimbledon Championships.
The sixth seed came from one set down to win 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 53 minutes. Next up for the Tunisian history-maker is second seed Aryna Sabalenka, who sailed past 25th-seeded Madison Keys of the United States 6-2, 6-4 on No. 1 Court.
"I believe last year maybe I wasn't ready to play this kind of match. I don't regret last year. It happened for a reason. I always say it. It was meant to be this year. It was meant to be in the quarterfinals," Jabeur said after the victory.
In 2021, Jabeur became the first Arab player to contest a Wimbledon quarterfinal, and last year at the All England Club, the first to play in a Grand Slam singles final.
"I'm glad I did everything - shouted, got angry, then got calm and focused and hopefully I can keep managing my emotions like this for the next few matches," the 28-year-old said.
Jabeur had a set point in the opening set when she was serving for it at 6-5 after coming from 3-1 behind, before Rybakina broke her and won three points in a row from 3-3 in the tiebreak to take a one-set lead.
"For sure she was making better decisions from the court than last year, I would say. I also had a lot of opportunities this time, especially in the second set. I felt that my serve wasn't that great. I would say the percentage - I didn't see the statistics yet - but I think since it's my weapon and it was not working that well," Rybakina said afterward.
The match looked in the defending champion's favor early in the second set, as the third seed had three break points in Jabeur's serve at 2-2. But the Tunisian held her nerve to save them all, staying alive in the set before breaking in the 10th game and serving for the set in the following one.
"Especially after losing the first set, I didn't care. I went for every shot. The way I played, I felt so free on the court," Jabeur revealed her mind in the match. "The coach said I followed the plan 70 percent, which is a high percentage. It was very tough. Sometimes someone like Elena pushes you to play different plans. But I'm glad that I did stick to the one we agreed on."
Jabeur continued her momentum in the decider, breaking for a love game in the second game to surge to a 3-0 lead. After Rybakina held from 30-0 down to get on the board, Jabeur broke another one in the sixth game to put the match out of her opponent's reach.
Reigning Australian Open winner Sabalenka dispatched Keys to reach at least the semifinal stage in four consecutive Grand Slams.
"Actually we practiced here before Wimbledon. I felt like she's going to do well here because she played unbelievable tennis on practice court. I know it's different on practice than on match. She was able to bring this level on matches," Sabalenka said of her semifinal opponent.
The world No. 2 is now only one win away from ending Iga Swiatek's 67-week reign at the top of the WTA rankings.
"It feels amazing. I'm super happy to be back in the semifinals. Really looking forward for my semifinals match," Sabalenka said. "I want both [winning Wimbledon and being world No.1]. But I'm trying to focus on myself because I know if I start thinking about all this stuff, I'm going to lose my focus on the court, my game."
Sabalenka hit 17 winners and suffered only 14 unforced errors, while Keys had 19 and 22 respectively. The Belarusian converted four out of her nine break points and Keys only grabbed one from four chances.
The other women's semifinal will pit former world No. 3 Elina Svitolina against unseeded Marketa Vondrousova.
