| Venue: All England Club Dates: 27 June-10 July |
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Tunisian third seed Ons Jabeur became the first Arab player to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the Open era as she beat German mother-of-two Tatjana Maria in the last four at Wimbledon.
Jabeur won 6-2 3-6 6-1 against 103rd-ranked Maria, who aimed to become the lowest-ranked woman to reach the final.
The pair are good friends but were rivals on Centre Court, sharing a long and loving embrace at the net.
Jabeur, 27, will face Simona Halep or Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s showpiece.
The contest between Romanian 16th seed Halep, the 2019 champion, and Kazakhstan’s Rybakina follows Thursday’s first semi-final at the All England Club.
Jabeur, ranked second in the world, is the first African woman to reach a major final since South Africa’s Sandra Reynolds at Wimbledon in 1960.
She reached the SW19 final with a hard-fought win over 34-year-old Maria, who the Tunisian describes as her “BBQ buddy” and has stayed with at her Florida home when she plays in Miami.
Maria only gave birth to her second child Cecilia last year, and has defied the odds in a remarkable run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
But after fighting back to force a decider, Maria was unable to handle Jabeur’s improved level as her fairytale run ended.
“It is a dream come true after years and years of work and sacrifice,” said Jabeur.
“I’m really happy it is paying off and now there is one more match to come.”
Jabeur’s story is one of an inspirational late bloomer who lacked patience in her younger days before finding the right mentality to complement her talent.
That has seen her win WTA tournaments, rise up the rankings and regularly break down barriers.
Known as the ‘Minister of Happiness’ in her country, Jabeur is a popular figure in Tunisia, the Arab world and Africa as she continues to be a trailblazer.
“I’m a proud Tunisian woman here today and I know in Tunisia they are going crazy right now,” she said.
“I try to inspire as much as I can and I want to see more Arab and African players on the tour.”
Jabeur digs deep to win compelling contest
On the basis of their rankings, Jabeur was the overwhelming favourite – and that eventually was borne out in a compelling contest.
Both players have a similar style, keen to often use their…
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