Tunisian Ons Jabeur and Kazakh Elena Rybakina dream of winning a first major title at Wimbledon, the temple of tennis.
A Wimbledon,
For a historic first
Until then, neither player had passed the quarters in Grand Slams Rybakina, 23, had reached them last year at Roland Garros. Jabeur, 27, became the first player from the Arab world to advance to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open 2020. After winning just one match in her first three appearances, the Tunisian has proven that she has the foot green. Quarter-finalist last season, winner on grass in Berlin, and undefeated in eleven matches on this surface this year, she has made Wimbledon her “main objective” of the season. The bet is about to be successful. More surprising to find Rybakina facing her. The first Kazakh to play in a Grand Slam final, back from injury, had won only one match on grass before Wimbledon. But the stars aligned and Coco Vandeweghe, Bianca Andreescu (winner of the US Open 2019), Qinwen Zheng, Petra Martic, Ajla Tomljanovic and finally Simona Halep, winner of 2019, suffered her law.
For the particular political context
Elena Rybakina, who was born in Moscow, grew up there and lives there, has been playing under the flag of Kazakhstan since 2018. His case is talked about because of its origins because of the special character of this 135e editing. Players from this country, as well as Belarusians are banned due to the Ukrainian invasion. However, Elena Rybakina was trained at the Spartak Moscow club and grew up alongside former glory Andrey Chesnokov in the Russian capital. She had the merit of not losing her smile at a press conference despite the insistent reminders from journalists about her Russian origins and ties.
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To see Jabeur changing dimension
«I often imagined myself making a speech while holding the trophy… often, emphasizes Jabeur. So now I really want to take it into my own hands. And I know I can do it. I hate to disappoint myself so I hope I don’t (Saturday). Only one game left“At 27, the one her compatriots call “the minister of happiness“has the opportunity to make his country dream but also an entire continent, rarely at the top of the poster in tennis. She could thus become the first player from the African continent to win a Major. World number two, winner of her first WTA 1000 in Madrid in May, Jabeur is not just one step away from her dream. But Rybakina could thwart his plans…
Read alsoWimbledon: Ons Jabeur for the first time in the final of a grand slam
For surprise Rybakina
The youngest Major finalist on grass since Garbine Muguruza in 2015, the Kazakh is one of the biggest revelations of this 2022 edition.I did not expect to reach the second week, so in the final“, underlines for its part the 23e world, who, at 23, is taking part in her second Wimbledon (elimination in the round of 16 last year). “I think I have a game to go far in Grand Slam tournaments. And I believe that one day I will win one“. Starting with Saturday?
For the opposition of styles
The Tunisian with multiple variations must challenge the slugger Rybakina. From the top of her 1.84 meters, the Kazakh lines up the winning services. She also dominates the ranking of the women’s circuit in the number of aces this year (217). At Church Road, she has already managed 44. Dominated by the Kazakh, Simona Halep believes that Jabeur’s game “in changes of rhythm, with slices to break the rhythmcould upset the aces machine Rybakina. “She serves very well, so I will have to start by giving as many of her services as possible to make her work hard on each point, says Jabeur. I know she can hit hard and land a lot of winners, but I also know that my game can really bother her.“. The Tunisian has thus won two of their three previous confrontations. Rybakina keeps a low profile:She is a great player, very difficult to play and it will not be easy to counter her drop shots and volleys.“. With these two players with different profiles, Wimbledon could be the scene of a very good final on Saturday.
