Elena Rybakina and Ons Jabeur, two first-time Grand Slam finalists, will fight for the ladies' singles title at Wimbledon 2022 on Saturday. (More Tennis News)
On Thursday, Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina registered contrasting wins in their respective semi-finals at All England Club.
Soon after Tunisian Jabeur became the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open Era, Rybakina scripted her own history by becoming the first Kazakhstan player to reach a major final.
Elena Rybakina, seeded 17th, defeated former champion Simona Halep in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. The 23-year-old Rybakina also became the youngest Wimbledon finalist since Garbine Muguruza in 2105.
Halep, the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon champion, had reached the semifinals without dropping a set but was broken early in both sets.
The 30-year-old Romanian, seeded 16th, wasn’t able to defend her Wimbledon title last year — after the 2020 edition was canceled — because of a calf injury.
Earlier on the Centre Court, Ons Jabeur defeated good friend Tatjana Maria 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. In the deciding set, the Tunisian twice broke her 34-year-old German opponent — who was a first-time Grand Slam semifinalist — en route to a 5-0 lead.
The gentlemen's semifinals are scheduled for Friday, with three-time defending champion and No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic facing No. 9 Cameron Norrie of Britain, and 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal up against unseeded Nick Kyrgios.
(With agency inputs)
