The 8th seeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur becomes the first Arab player to reach WTA 1000 Final. On May 5, she defeated the Russian Ekatarina Alexandrova in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open 2022. Ons Jabeur is currently the number one African women player. The 27-year-old Tunisian is also the highest-ranked Arab tennis player in both ATP and WTA.
On her way to her first-ever WTA 1000 Finals, she dropped only three sets. She defeated the two-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one Simona Halep in a magnificent match. She also defeated the Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic on her way to the finals. Jabeur is hugely capable of potential backhands also she is a master in hitting aces. Ons is very friendly and has good relations with other WTA players. Â Jabeur has a very unique style of playing and is very popular for her exquisite drop shots. She is trained under Issam Jellali who is also a former Tunisian tennis player.
Ons Jabeur’s performances till her first WTA 1000 Finals
- Semifinals: E. Alexandrova by 6-2,6-3
- Quarterfinals: Simona Halep in 6-3,6-2
- Round of 16: Belinda Bencic by 6-2,3-6,6-2
- Round of 32: V. Gracheva in 7-5,0-6,6-4
- Round of 64: J. Paolini – 7-6,6-1
Ons Jabeur’s achievements
- Ons Jabeur became the first Arab woman to reach the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam in the 2020 Australian Open.
- She did achieve this again for the second time at the 2021 Wimbledon reaching the quarterfinals.
- Jabeur won her first and only WTA Title to date at the 2021 Birmingham Open beating Daria Kasatkina by 7-5,6-4.
- Ons Jabeur became the first Arab to reach in WTA top 10 ranking by securing World number 7 rank on Nov 1.
Ons Jabeur will play the first-ever ever WTA 1000 Finals against the American Jessica Pegula. Jessica Pegula and Ons Jabeur will meet for the fifth time in their careers. The match will be played on Saturday at Manolo Santana Stadium in Madrid, Spain.
Also read: ATP vs WTA: Similarities and differences
Have a great day ahead!