Ons Jabeur becomes first woman since Serena to record major Wimbledon feat after ousting defending champion Rybakina

The women’s draw at Wimbledon has been one of change and frequent new champions, with the last 6 Championships being won by different women. In fact, no player on tour was even able to make the semifinals twice in a row over the last 4 years, when Serena Williams made a trip to the final in both 2018 and 2019.

However, Ons Jabeur was on hand to change that, as she backed up her 2022 Wimbledon final appearance by exacting revenge on Elena Rybakina, beating the defending champion in three sets to clinch another semifinal appearance.

The Tunisian has developed into one of the most creative and dangerous forces on the WTA tour, and was in excellent form as she shut the door on Rybakina in their quarterfinal encounter. She was destructive in the deciding set, taking it 6-1 with some ridiculous winners.

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Jabeur was in much better form than their finals encounter, and always seemed to be slightly ahead of Rybakina even after going down a set. It was a reversal of their final, which saw Jabeur win the first set before Rybakina found her range and clinched the famous trophy.

Although Jabeur will be happy with the consistency she has begun to show on grass — she also reached the quarterfinals in 2021 — she will want to improve on Serene Williams’ record. The American reached the finals in 2018 and 2019, but lost out to Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep respectively.

Jabeur had her own finals heartbreak in 2022, where she backed up her Wimbledon with an appearance in the US Open finals. She firmly established herself as one of the finest players in the world with her historic 2022, finishing the year ranked number 2 in the world.

She has been affected by injuries in the early part of 2023, but is back looking better than ever. Jabeur carries the hopes of Africa and the Arab world, and set records with her final appearances in 2022. She will want to outdo herself and bring the trophy back home.

However, she will be met with a tough challenge from Aryna Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion who will rise to world number one with a win in this semifinal encounter. Sabalenka is one of the most in-form players on the tour, and might even be the favourite over Jabeur. This encounter is a rematch of their 2021 quarterfinal, where Sabalenka came out on top.

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