Tunisia's Ons Jabeur has lifted the spirits of an entire continent, as she became the first Arab and first African woman to reach the Wimbledon final with a rousing 6-2 3-6 6-1 victory over barbecue buddy Tatjana Maria.
Before she stepped on court, American great Billie Jean King said Jabeur was "using tennis as a platform to help Tunisia, help Africa and help Arabs", and the 27-year-old did just that, as she finally ended the remarkable run of mum-of-two Maria.
Maria, 34, was forced to save three breakpoints in the opening game, but was unable to prolong that resistance as she dropped serve in the third and seventh games, before Jabeur sealed the opening set, when the German smacked a backhand long.
However, 103rd-ranked Maria refused to hand victory away on a platter to an opponent she calls "family", as she broke for a 3-1 lead in the second and held on to that advantage to draw level, when the third seed sliced a backhand into the net.
But Jabeur finally lived up to her world No.2 billing to run away with the third set and set up a final showdown with 17th seed Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina powered into the Wimbledon final by dismantling former champion Simona Halep 6-3 6-3 with a clinical display to reach her maiden Grand Slam showpiece.
Halep was caught in the crosshairs of an onslaught from the Russian-born Kazakh, who pummelled her Romanian opponent with rasping serves and savage forehands.
Halep, the 2019 champion, did not help her cause, with a string of double faults handing Rybakina chances at key moments.
Yet the 17th seed needed little assistance, as she became the first player from Kazakhstan to reach a Grand Slam final, where she will meet Jabeur.
Reuters
