Ons Jabeur defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the Wimbledon semifinals by winning the first set tiebreaker. Midway through the match, Ons Jabeur produced a superb running forehand down the line, knifing the ball flat just over the net as it sped past Sabalenka to take a 4-2 lead. It carried the significance of a turning point in a high-calibre, tight set.
To give herself a commanding lead and advance to her second Major final of the year, Sabalenka focused, winning five of the next six points and then four of the following six games. Jabeur, however, was not going to relinquish control and prevailed in a hard three-set battle to go to her second consecutive Wimbledon final.
The match, which lasted more than three hours, served as an example of the spectacle that SW19’s swift, low-bouncing grass courts can produce when they are exposed to the pressure of a Grand Slam’s closing moments.
Sabalenka’s strength allowed her to control the match at the end of the first set and the start of the second. Jabeur was forced to try to break up the force and compete with her opponent from the baseline, but she struggled to do so.
Jabeur, though, had dealt with powerful individuals all week, so he had been here before. The runner-up from the previous year wasn’t one of the favourites in London this year with a meagre 16-9 win-loss record and a draw littered with difficult assignments. However, she defeated the in-form two-time winner Petra Kvitova 6-0, 6-3, and then rallied to beat Elena Rybakina 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinal after dropping the first set tiebreaker.
The score may indicate differently, but Sabalenka did not accept this defeat. She nearly knelt down to retrieve bullets that were bouncing low, but she maintained her speed and strength throughout. She kept up the amazing service and added her own drop shots and slices.
Jabeur’s comeback, though, provided the breakthrough in the third, just as it had in the second. Jabeur made sure she did not simply give in to Sabalenka’s strength throughout the set by putting more balls in play, particularly on returns. In the decisive set, the Tunisian successfully returned almost 80% of his first serves, compared to Sabalenka’s success rate of almost 40%. Sabalenka only garnered six return points in the final, although she won 14 of them.
The turning point came during the third’s seventh game, which lasted for more than 15 minutes. Jabeur eventually won because of his consistent ability to return Sabalenka’s strong serve with interest. On her fifth match point, Jabeur knifed a wide slice serve to take the 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 victory in a match that was packed with momentum adjustments.
A month after losing her French Open quarterfinal despite having two match points, Sabalenka will be worried if she loses another match with a sizable lead. Jabeur will now have a second chance to win Wimbledon and a third Grand Slam when she faces Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the championship match on Saturday.