Tunisia’s Jabeur had already made history at this year’s Wimbledon as the first Arab or North African woman to compete in a Grand Slam semi-final, and she went a step further with a fight win against Maria.
The third seed, who has dropped only two sets in the tournament, crashed out of the first set after getting a double break of serve, but Maria used her slice to good effect and answered with a break to take the second set. Gave.
With the match level, Jabeur gained the upper hand with a break at the start of the third set, then followed up with another 3-0 as Maria sent a simple forehand volley long.
From there, the match was sewn up, and Jaboor finished the second of his three match points after Maria returned to the net.
“I am a proud Tunisian woman standing here today,” Jabur, who faces Elena Rybakina in the final on Saturday, said in her on-court interview, “and I know they are going crazy in Tunisia right now.”
“I try to really inspire as much as I can. I want to see not only Tunisian, but also Arab and African players on tour. I just love the game and I want to share this experience with them. “
Jabeur and Maria are close friends and shared a long hug at the net at the end of the match. As the crowd applauded both players, Jabeur pulled Maria back on the court and gestured to the crowd to cheer up her opponent.
The German has enjoyed the best Grand Slam tournament of her career at Wimbledon, just 15 months after giving birth to her second child.
She is the sixth woman aged 34 or older to play in a Grand Slam semi-final, following in the footsteps of Venus and Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King.
“He now has to make me a barbecue to make up for every race I run,” Jabeur joked after the match.
“I definitely wanted to share the moment with him at the end because he is an inspiration to many players including me. Coming back after having two kids – I can’t believe how he did it.”
Jabeur had never made it to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam before this year’s tournament, but she has been in the form of her life this season, rising to an all-time high of No. 2 in the world rankings.
Rybakina surprised Halepy
In Thursday’s second semi-final, Rybakina stunned two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets.
It will be 23-year-old Rybakina’s first major finalist as she became the youngest women’s singles finalist at Wimbledon since Garbine Muguruza in 2015.
“I don’t know how to describe it, it was really cool, today I was mentally prepared and I did everything I could and it was an amazing match,” Kazakhstan to reach final at Wimbledon Rybakina, the first player to represent. His post-match interview.
Meanwhile, Halep will be disappointed at not being able to capitalize on her strong form, having lost a set in the tournament ahead of Thursday’s match.