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World No. 2 Ons Jabeur reached her maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon and made tennis history in the process. On Thursday, Jabeur overcame 103rd-ranked Tatjana Maria 6-2 3-6 6-1 to become the first Arab or African woman to reach a Grand Slam final.
"The dream kind of started last year when I enjoyed playing here, enjoyed the crowd. I didn't play so many Wimbledons before. Usually it was the first and second round. It's tricky to play on grass. I knew I was playing good on grass because of my game and everything.
But last year, Melanie [Maillard] reminded me, my mental coach, I told her, 'I'm coming back next year for the title,' when I lost in the quarterfinals. I just love everything around here, the atmosphere and everything. It was my main goal from the beginning of the season, and even from last year.
Everything about the energy, I just love being here."
Jabeur overcame Maria to book an Elena Rybakina final
Jabeur got off to a very fast start, breaking Maria twice to easily win the first set. Maria maybe didn't make a good start to her first Grand Slam semifinal but her level improved in the second set as she earned her first in the fourth game and then held on to her serve the rest of the set to force a decider.
However, losing the second set didn't impact Jabeur, who started the third set with a 5-0 lead before serving out for the match in the seventh game. In the Wimbledon final, Jabeur faces 23rd-ranked Rybakina, who upset Simona Halep in the semifinal.
Jabeur and Rybakina will be going head-to-head for the fourth time when they meet in the Wimbledon final. Jabeur has a positive 2-1 head-to-head record versus Rybakina - Rybakina won their first meeting in 2019, before Jabeur won their second and third meetings last year.