Izuchukwu OkosiTunisia’s Ons Jabeur on Thursday powered her way into tennis immortality 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 Tatjana Maria.
The pride of Africa set up a final showdown with either Romania’s 16th-seeded 2019 champion Simona Halep or Russian-born Kazakh 17th seed Elena Rybakina.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“I’m a proud Tunisian woman standing here,” said Jabeur.
“It’s a dream come true from years of work and sacrifice. I’m happy that’s paid off and I’ll continue for one more match,” said Jabeur.
“Physically, Tatjana is a beast, she doesn’t give up, I thought she would give up – her touch, her serve and everything on the court is impressive. I hope she continues this way. Let’s not play again, I’m good for now.
“I know in Tunisia they are going crazy right now. I want to see more Arab and African players on the tour. I love the game and I want to share the experience with them.”
Before Thursday, South Africans Irene Bowder Peacock, at the 1927 French Open, and Renee Schuurman, in the 1959 Australian Open, were the only African women to reach a S lam final.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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