The Wimbledon women's final will be decided by the third set of the match. There is a time and a place for it.
The first woman from Africa to make it that far in a Grand Slam singles final, Ons Jabeur's steady progress from year to year, through the draws of various tournaments and, now, at Wimbledon, has carried her to a Grand Slam singles final.
In an up-and-down semifinal on Centre Court on Thursday, the third-seeded woman from Tunisia got past her good friend, the second-seeded woman from Spain.
In the past 24 hours, she has won 22 of her matches. African players have never been to a major tennis tournament since pro players were admitted in 1968. She's the first Arab woman to accomplish that.
I am a proud woman from Tunisia. They are going crazy in Tunisia. She said she tries to inspire as much as possible. I would like to see more and more players from Africa on tour. I enjoy the game and want to share it with them.
Simona Halep or Elena Rybakina will face off in the title match. They were going to play their semifinal at the All England Club.
The tennis player has risen in the last few seasons. She was the first Arab woman to reach the quarterfinals at a major. First Arab player to break into the top 10 of the men's or women's rankings, first Arab to win a WTA title, and a quarterfinals appearance at Wimbledon were just some of the accomplishments of last year.
She did that two steps better.
I'm not sure what to say. It's a dream of many years of hard work and sacrifice. "I'm really happy that it's paying off." Now is the time for one more match.
She and Maria, a mother of two from Germany who is ranked 103rd, hugged at the net after she won the biggest victory of her career. She whispered something to her friend. After depositing her racket on the sideline, she playfully tugged Maria along with her, an uncommon gesture.
She's such an inspiration for so many players, that I wanted to share the moment with her. I couldn't believe how she did it after having two babies.
The two of them stood beside each other as they waited for the walk to the court to start. The pair didn't talk or glance at each other.
There are close friends. The setting, stage and stakes are quite high.
They had never been to a Grand Slam semifinals. Maria had never been past the third round in any of her 34 previous appearances at major tournaments, and she only got that far once.
Two people hang out a lot. "Barbecue buddies" is the term they are using. The German referred to Maria's two daughters as "Aunt Ons" because they were well-acquainted with her.
Maybe that's why neither player showed much emotion during the match. Maria smiled sheepishly after one lively exchange with both at the net. After twisting her forehand across her body for a winning pass, she held her left fist overhead. Maria raised her arm after she won the second set.
Unusual brands of tennis are offered. On the second point of the match, Jabeur used a drop shot to win a point. Maria and Jabeur both like to hit slice forehands.
The second set was not as good as the first. Maybe it made her realize how close she was to the final.
Mistakes started accruing quickly. She was less confident in her service. Maria was able to take advantage of it. Just as suddenly, she came back to her best self, leading to a five-set victory.
In the second set, he made 17 unforced errors. Maria wasn't able to keep up.
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