Ons Jabeur qualified for the Wimbledon final on Thursday by getting rid of Tatjana Maria in three sets: 6-2, 3-6 and 6-1. It is the first Grand Slam final of her career for the Tunisian.
The first set went to 27-year-old Jabeur convincingly 6-2 in 38 minutes, but Maria fought back in the second set. The 34-year-old German broke early and didn’t lose a single service game himself: 6-3.
In the decisive third set, Jabeur was by far the strongest and it became 6-1 in just under half an hour. After an hour and 43 minutes, Jabeur finished it off on her second game point on a miss by Maria, who hit a forehand into the net.
Jabeur is the first African Grand Slam finalist since 1960, when South African Sandra Reynolds reached the final in London.
The other semifinal is between Elena Rybakina and former winner Simona Halep. That match will be played on Thursday evening. The final will be played on Saturday.