Wimbledon Day 10: Ons Jabeur overwhelms defending champion Elena Rybakina to make semis
Ons Jabeur is not messing around. On Day 10 at Wimbledon, the 6th-seeded Tunisian eliminated defending champion Elena Rybakina 6(5)-7, 6-4, 6-1 in a replay of last year's final — but this time, Jabeur, not Rybakina, came out on top.
Jabeur had put on a clinic when she faced Petra Kvitova on Monday, eliminating the two-time Wimbledon champion 6-0, 6-3 in a show of dominance. But against Rybakina, Jabeur appeared to be overwhelmed at the start, allowing her opponent to get a 3-1 lead before asserting her strength. But from there it was an all-out slugfest. Jabeur quickly came back to tie the set, but Rybakina got the edge in the tiebreak and took a 1-0 lead.
With Rybakina up, Jabeur was fighting for her life. And whatever had been holding her back before disappeared in the second set. She didn't hold anything back, overwhelming Rybakina and swinging freely against her superb serve. Rybakina fought back, attempting to stay with Jabeur (who just kept getting more and more powerful), but she ran out of gas after tying the score 4-4 and Jabeur took the second set to force a decider.
Ons Jabeur forces a third set against Elena Rybakina 😤#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/QlMxQPohgc
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 12, 2023
The deciding set was a clinic. Every part of Jabeur's game was working, and Rybakina wasn't able to keep up. Jabeur's shots were getting buried in difficult-to-return angles and catching pieces of the lines, and Rybakina had no response. Looking at Jabeur's face throughout the final set, you could tell she was feeling not just powerful, but untouchable.
Redemption.
In a reverse of last year's final, @Ons_Jabeur defeats Elena Rybakina 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Y5aZtYLEne— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2023
She'll face off against Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, and considering the power both players have, it should be quite a show.
Aryna Sabalenka ousts American Madison Keys
Aryna Sabalenka could be the No. 1 women's tennis player in the world before the end of the weekend, and she showed she's ready for the moment on Day 10 of Wimbledon.
Sabalenka decisively defeated American Madison Keys on Wednesday, taking her down 6-2, 6-4 in 87 minutes. Keys had her moments in the match, especially in the second set, but it wasn't enough to defeat Sabalenka and her overwhelming power.
Welcome back to the semi-finals, @SabalenkaA 👏
The No.2 seed powerfully gets past Madison Keys in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/tPuQdJzmoc— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2023
This is Sabalenka's fourth Grand Slam semifinal in a row, and the win makes her just the third woman in the Open Era to win her first six major quarterfinals (behind Ann Jones and Chris Evert). Following the match, she discussed how she's changed since her semifinal match at Wimbledon in 2021, which she lost to Karolina Pliskova.
Aryna Sabalenka was asked how much she’s grown as a player since Wimbledon 2021:
“Since that SF match I changed a lot. I did a lot of work. I think I’m a different player now. I really hope. I hope I’ll do my best to go for a few more (smiles). pic.twitter.com/6Zk5rNBjFh— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 12, 2023
With current women's No. 1 Iga Swiatek out of Wimbledon in the quarterfinals, Sabalenka doesn't even need to win Wimbledon to replace her at the top. All she needs to do is win her semifinal match against Jabeur and she'll overtake the No. 1 spot. As much as the No. 1 spot is gratifying, Sabalenka has her sights set on just one thing: winning her first Grand Slam.
