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In the final of the Wimbledon tournament on Saturday July 9 against Kazakh Elena Rybakina, Ons Jabeur lost in three sets (6-3, 2-6, 2-6). At 27, the Tunisian world number 2 fails in her first Grand Slam attempt.
A little over a year ago, when she was showing excellent progress on the circuit, Ons Jabeur warned: she was aiming for the Top 10 of world tennis and Grand Slam titles. From words to deeds, there is a big step that she has not yet fully taken. Admittedly, she entered the Top 10 last fall, and she has been in second place in the world for a few days. But Wimbledon refused the tenniswoman.
Given favorite of the final played on the London lawn, Saturday, July 9, Ons Jabeur first assumed its status. Elena Rybakina, the other finalist, was a bit of a surprise guest. She had never done better than a Grand Slam quarter-final before this Wimbledon 2022, and she herself had admitted that she did not expect to arrive in the second week and therefore even less in the final.
An ideal first set before complications
From the start of the match, the Kazakh of Russian origin suffered from the power, precision and versatility of the Tunisian. Sure of herself, in control and confident, Ons Jabeur dictated the pace in a one-sided first set. And on a last exemplary game, she concluded the first round in the space of a good half hour.
Jostled, Rybakina woke up at the start of the second set and took Jabeur’s service. Finally in her match, the Kazakh offered better quality tennis, while opposite, the Tunisian made more mistakes. The standoff in the fourth game, won with difficulty by Rybakina, marked a turning point. Jabeur again lost his serve behind, and the second set win went to his opponent soon after.
First failed attempt for Jabeur in Grand Slam
The start of the third set was an extension of the second. Ons Jabeur, very annoyed by her own shortcomings, gave up her serve again in the first game, forcing herself to chase after Elena Rybakina. The latter has committed a number of direct errors, but the one that the Tunisians have nicknamed the “Minister of Happiness” has not been able to take advantage of them.
Back to the wall at 3-2 against her and service for the Kazakh, Jabeur had three break points. But there again, Rybakina responded present in this crucial moment and kept his break ahead. In the next game, the Kazakh confirmed by breaking again, before going for a title that could no longer escape her.
If Elena Rybakina displayed a measured joy after the match point, Ons Jabeur, she appeared touched at the edge of the court. Her dream of becoming the first African tenniswoman to win a Grand Slam tournament was shattered. After this first failed attempt, she will have to find the resources to bounce back and, why not, reach her goal in September at the US Open.