London Wimbledon Championships Day 11 1/07/2023 Ons Jabeur (TUN) wins semi final match Photo Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
Ons Jabeur denied Aryna Sabalenka a second Grand Slam final of the season as the Tunisian fought back on Thursday for a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 win into a second consecutive Wimbledon final.
Jabeur, seeded sixth, finished runner-up twice in 2022: she lost to Elena Rybakina here a year ago and went down to Iga Swiatek at the US Open.
Jabeur will take a negative record into the Saturday final against Marketa Vondrousova after the Czech defeated Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-3 in a 75-minute encounter.
“Marketa’a a great player, I’ve already lost twice to her this season,” Jabeur said.
“But hopefully I can take my revenge again (after beating Rybakina here in the quarter-finals.”
Jabeur needed six match points to get over the line against Sabalenka, claiming victory after nearly two and a half hours with her second ace.
The first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final when she did it here a year ago said she channelled her frustration after losing the opening set in a close tiebreaker.
“I’ve been working well with my mental coach,” she said. “The old me would have probably lost the match today
“But I was able to dig very deep and find the strength. I was able to transfer the bad energy from losing into a good one.”
Jabeur improved her record against Top 10 opponents to 5-7.
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