Jabeur rides the punches to beat Sabalenka and reach Wimbledon final | Tennis News – Times of India

Despite losing the opening set and facing the prospect of more disappointment on Centre Court, Jabeur’s delicate strokeplay and clever shot selection gradually subdued the relentless power of her Belarusian opponent.
This triumph propels Jabeur into the final, where she will face unseeded Czech player Marketa Vondrousova, a former French Open finalist who earlier ended the aspirations of Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

Jabeur, seeded sixth in the tournament, has previously reached the final at Wimbledon last year and was also the runner-up at the U.S. Open.
After a tightly contested first set that went to a tiebreak, Jabeur found herself trailing 4-2 in the second set.

However, she rallied back with two breaks of serve, leveling the match. In the decisive third set, Jabeur secured a crucial break to take a 4-2 lead.

Although she initially missed four match points, she ultimately closed out the match with an ace, securing her well-deserved victory.
It was the third time at the tournament this year that the 28-year-old Jabeur had fought back from dropping the first set.
Saturday’s final will be her third at the Slams after losing to Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon and then to Iga Swiatek at the US Open last year.
“I’m very proud of myself because maybe old me would have lost the match today and went back home already but I’m glad that I kept digging deep and finding the strength,” she said.
“I’m learning to transform the bad energy into a good one so the anger that I had from the first set I tried to stay focused.
“Some things I have no control over. She can ace any time, she can hit a big serve even if I have a break point and that’s frustrating a bit but I’m glad that I’m accepting it and digging deep to go and win this match and hopefully the tournament.”
(With Agency inputs)