LONDON — There was a time Ons Jabeur may not have recovered from the loss she suffered in the Wimbledon semi-final. Down a set. Down to rest. So it’s almost just a game from failure.
She credits her sports psychologist for helping her understand how to deal with situations on the court, with managing to keep her focus, keep her shots on target. pepper. Thanks in part to that, and the consistency during his time at Center Court on Thursday, Jabeur is on his way to a second straight final at the All England Club and a third title match in five Grand Slams. passed.
Now she wants to win a trophy. Sixth-seeded Jabeur earned the right to play again by beating a big hit Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3.
“I’m very proud of myself, because maybe I’m old so I lost today’s match and went home. But I’m glad I kept digging and finding strength,” said Jabeur, 28. . old woman from Tunisia, is the only Arab woman and only North African woman to reach a major final.
“I’m learning how to turn bad energy into good energy,” says Jabeur, explaining that she was able to get over her anger after the first set. “Some things I can’t control: She can ace any time. She can hit a big serve, even when I have a break point. It’s a bit frustrating. But I’m happy because accepted it and I dug deep to just go and win this game – and, hopefully, this tournament.”
To do that, Jabeur will need to overcome Vondrousova market, a left-handed person from the Czech Republic, on Saturday. Vondrousova became the first female tennis player to reach the Wimbledon final since Billie Jean King in 1963 by eliminating Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-3 earlier on Thursday.
So far, Jabeur is losing 0-2 in Slam finals after losing Elena Rybakina at the All England Club last July and Iga Swiatek at the US Open last September.
Jabeur’s victory on Thursday, which came by scoring 10 of the last 13, prevented No. 2 Sabalenka from replacing Swiatek at No. 1 in the standings. Sabalenka goes into the match with a 17-1 record at major tournaments in 2023, including a title at the Australian Open.
Jabeur took a 4-2 lead in the second set as she started to turn the tide. But not before Sabalenka took a 5-3 lead within a point after Jabeur forehand hit the net and fell back on the Center Court lawn.
She dusted off and broke to join that game and start her big comeback. When she made a winner’s backhand serve to force the game into the third set, Jabeur brought her right index finger to her ear, then raised her index finger and waved as she strured. to the ball exchange.
Sabalenka’s shots repeatedly missed the target. She ended up with far more unwarranted errors than Jabeur: The margin was 14-5 in the final set and 45-15 for the whole game.
A break put Jabeur up 4-2 in the third inning, but there was still some work to be done. Sabalenka, an as powerful batting striker as on the tour, cleared four match points before Jabeur converted her fifth place with a 103 mph ace.
In the first semi-final, Vondrousova hit seven games in a row over a period of time. She placed 43rd and reached her second Grand Slam final after coming this far as a teenager at the 2019 French Open.
“I was very nervous,” said Vondrousova, who bowed and knelt down in the street at the end of the field. “I was worried, really, the whole game.”
Ranked 76th and an unranked wildcard recipient, Svitolina returned to the league after taking a maternity leave just three months ago. After beating Swiatek by surprise in the quarterfinals, she is trying to become the first Ukrainian woman to reach a title match at a major tennis tournament.
“She’s such a fighter,” said Vondrousova, who compiled a 22-9 win rate in total winners, “and she’s such a great person as well.”
Svitolina received massive support from thousands of people in the crowd at the main stadium – Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK was in the Royal Box – as applause and screams echoed from the closed roof.
Svitolina has said that she is playing more freely and calmly now, which she considers dual motivated by playing for her little girl who was born in October and trying to bring happiness to everyone. in her hometown, where an ongoing war begins with the invasion of Russia in February 2022.
“There’s a lot of responsibility, a lot of stress. I try to balance as much as I can. Sometimes it can be too much,” says Svitolina. “But I don’t want to (make it) an excuse.”
From 3-all in Thursday’s opening set, Svitolina’s level began to drop, while Vondrousova’s rise. For the next half hour, Vondrousova was in complete control, to the point where she won that set and took a 4-0 lead in the next set.
However, suddenly, Svitolina led 4-3.
Vondrousova ended that small streak by taking the final two games. She was absent for about six months last season due to two surgeries on her left wrist, but returned at the peak of her strength and returned to the limelight in a Grand Slam final.
She went to England last year with her arm in a cast to enjoy London as a tourist and to see her best friend and doubles partner, Miriam Kolodziejovacompeted in qualifying at Wimbledon.
“It’s not always easy to come back. You don’t know if you can play at this level and if you can come back to the top and come back to these tournaments,” Vondrousova said. “I just feel so grateful to be able to play again, to play without pain.”
When asked how she plans to prepare for Saturday, Vondrousova laughed.
“I’ll relax now,” she replied.
