On Saturday, the first-time Wimbledon women’s champion will be crowned, as Vondrousova market of the Czech Republic takes 6th place Ons Jabeur of Tunisia.
If Vondrousova wins, she will become the first non-seeded female player to do so, and if Jabeur takes home the title, she will become the first African woman in the Open Era to win it. a Grand Slam singles title. Who is win? We asked our experts:
What can Jabeur do to defeat Vondrousova?
Drysdale Cliffs: Jabeur needs to get the ball in Vondrousova’s serve. She will win most of the basic rallies.
Bill Connelly: To me, it’s all about Jabeur’s serve. Going into Wimbledon, she won 68% of the points on the first serve and 46% of the points on the second serve. However, in her two losses to Vondrousova, she is at 60% and 32% respectively. She was broken eight times in a three-set loss at the Australian Open and five more times in a straight loss at Indian Wells in March.
But at Wimbledon, she played better than ever. She only broke six times in this four-fight fight (Bianca Andreescu, Petra Kvitova, Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka), and she has won 80% of the first serve and 52% of the second serve in every game. She controls points beautifully and puts great pressure on the opponent. Vondrousova may be the best comeback in the unnamed game Iga Swiatekbut if Jabeur continues to serve like this, then she is the most popular.
Tom Hamilton: She has experience in Grand Slam finals, but it’s a case of learning from the devastating experience of the past and making sure she doesn’t make the same mistake this time around. She must hold the remarkable record of winning 80% of her first serve at Wimbledon this year, but even though she lost a set three times at the championship, she couldn’t afford it. to do it before Vondrousova. It’s going to be a match of wits for Jabeur — master it, and she’ll have her first Slam.
D’Arcy Maine: First and foremost, Jabeur will need to keep doing everything she did during the tournament and try her best not to think about what’s going on. It won’t be possible to completely forget that she’s playing in a grand final, especially after losing the first two, but keeping her focus and mental toughness will be key. She’s spent a lot of time with her sports psychologist this season and in these two weeks, and it showed in her comeback win over Sabalenka on Thursday. She will need to have the same level of self-belief and determination, regardless of the score, to get the Venus rose water plate she so desperately desires.
Alyssa Roenigk: Exactly what she did to Rybakina and Sabalenka over the past two days: Stay calm and stay on point. Control what she can control. Before this tournament, Jabeur said that in last year’s Wimbledon final (she lost to Rybakina in three sets), she let her emotions overwhelm her and gave up on her competition plans. After Thursday’s semi-final, she said she’s proud of herself for the mental work she’s put in over the past year and her ability to put that work into practice in a match. She would be so much more proud of herself if she could go on playing one more game.
What can Vondrousova do to defeat Jabeur?
Drysdale: Vondrousova just needs to play the power game like she did on Thursday.
connect: Jabeur has been surprisingly strong mentally, but aside from crushing Jabeur’s serves as she did in the two previous encounters in 2023, it’s fair to think Vondrousova’s start Fast and early lead can play massively in her favor, of course not only because , early leads are always good but also because Jabeur’s defeats in the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year have may begin to appear dimly. After last year’s defeat, the pressure is on Jabeur. The more pressure Vondrousova makes her feel, the better.
Hamilton: This will help Vondrousova ease any tension and once again rely on the extraordinary inner beliefs that have helped her so much through these championships. She competed against a favorite opponent of the audience in the semi-finals of the year Elina Svitolinaand it could be the same on Saturday compared to Jabeur. So this would be a case of blocking out the noise and relying on what has served her very well. She is very aggressive in her comebacks and it is essential that she start quickly.
Maine: Vondrousova has beaten Jabeur twice this season, so she definitely knows what it takes to beat her. Of course, those matches were on hard courts with Jabeur injured and the Wimbledon championship not at stake, but she was still able to glean valuable information from both of those matches. During their three-set clash at the Australian Open, Jabeur was unable to play her game and she made 50 uncatch errors and failed to serve eight times. Lefty Vondrousova will have to prevent Jabeur from finding her rhythm in the first place, while also blocking any momentum. The crowd will likely be rowdy in support of Jabeur, and Vondrousova will need to adjust to that and not get agitated, like she did with Svitolina.
Roenigk: She can’t play like she did on Thursday and hope to win the title. Vondrousova and Svitolina both played foul tennis, but Vondrousova used variety and a powerful game of serve to win consecutive sets. She’ll need all of that to fight Jabeur, and much less bugs. She will also need faith.
Once the world number 14 and finalist of the French Open 2019, she has proven that she can beat the best players in the world. By becoming the first female tennis player to reach the Wimbledon final since Billie Jean King in 1963, she has made her name in the record books and cemented her comeback. Vondrousova won already. So she should play as if she has nothing to lose.
Who is win?
Drysdale: Jabeur to win.
Chris Evert: Jabeur will win because she is confident, and the experience of losing two finals in the past will help prevent her from making the same mistakes of stress and lack of confidence.
connect: Jabeur is favored for a reason, and I think the way she serves will ultimately make all the difference. She was not at 100% strength in both defeats to Vondrousova earlier this year; she’s in full glory at the moment; and I think she’ll take it. Jabeur’s current bet, according to Caesars, is -220, which equates to a 69% chance of winning.
But I also don’t want to underestimate Vondrousova’s chances. Vondrousova is 11-6 ahead of this year’s top 30 contenders, 5-4 ahead of the top 10. And again, she’s beaten Jabeur twice. Vondrousova certainly has a chance.
Hamilton: This has all the hallmarks of an epic match. I fully expect it to be in three sets and I think it’s going to take shape — Vondrousova will win the first set and Jabeur will come back to win the next two sets. There is an iron determination behind Jabeur’s Wimbledon campaign. She’s clearly fed up of getting close to a Slam only to suffer the ultimate pain. Having lost to Vondrousova twice this year, Jabeur knows her well, and this fits very well with the story of Jabeur looking to mend past failures. She’s called the Minister of Happiness, but she’s a smiley killer at Wimbledon. Jabeur in three.
Maine: As Jabeur said, this tournament is her revenge journey. She is back in the final after a disappointing runner-up in 2022, beating last year’s champion Rybakina in the quarterfinals and now has a chance to beat the man who ruined her Australian Open campaign in early season. I don’t have concrete proof of this or statistical evidence to back it up, but it looks like it’s time for Jabeur to win. Turn on Jabeur in three sets.
Roenigk: Jabeur. Usually, I’d say her ultimate desire to break through at a Slam could work against her. Sabalenka has dreamed of being world No 1 since she was a kid, and that thought may have crept into her mind and tightened her grip at the end of Thursday’s game. But Jabeur has been clear about his desire to take full advantage of this remake. In court on Thursday, she said that although Vondrousova beat her in both of their games this season, she is ready for revenge. “So far it has worked well for me in this tournament,” she said.
