Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur became the first African woman in history to reach the semi-finals of the US Open on Tuesday. Check out full news here.
Ons Jabeur : vs Caroline Garcia | Semifinal | Us open
Ons Jabeur ( born 28 August 1994) is a Tunisian professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as world No. 2 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), achieved on 27 June 2022.
| Born | 28 August 1994 Ksar Hellal, Monastir, Tunisia |
|---|---|
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Turned pro | 2010 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Issam Jellali |
Jabeur is the current No. 1 Tunisian player, and the highest-ranked African and Arab tennis player in WTA and ATP rankings history.
She has won three singles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as 11 singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Women’s Circuit.
She won the Arab Woman of the Year Award in 2019. At the 2020 Australian Open, Jabeur became the first African or Arab woman to reach a major quarterfinal, a feat repeated at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.
Vs Caroline Garcia
Jabeur, who also claimed a notable first in July as the first woman from Africa to reach the final at Wimbledon, scored a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win over Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.
The 28-year-old will now face Caroline Garcia in the semi-finals after the in-form 17th-seed dispatched the 18-year-old Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-4 in Tuesday’s other quarter-final.
Jabeur said she had been infused with belief since reaching the Wimbledon final, where she was beaten in three sets by Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina.
“I believe more in myself,” Jabeur said. “After Wimbledon, it was very positive. Even though I lost the final, I knew I had it in me to win a Grand Slam. And here I am in the semi-finals of the US Open.”
Jabeur is known affectionately as the “Minister of Happiness” by fans in Tunisia for the joy that her progress on court has brought to her homeland.
Ons Jabeur Semifinal
Ons Jabeur makes more history by reaching the US Open semi-finals with victory over Serena Williams’ conqueror Ajla Tomljanovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium; “I’m just trying to do my job here and hopefully I’ll inspire more and more generations from Africa. It really means a lot to me”
The Tunisian is through to the last four of a Grand Slam for the second successive major tournament following a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) success against Serena Williams’ conqueror Tomljanovic.
The Australian did not allow the frenzy of her third-round victory over 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams to distract her from focusing on the rest of the tournament as she targeted a best performance at a major.
But fifth seed Jabeur used her all-round skills to overcome the power of Tomljanovic, fighting back from 5-3 down in the second set to book her place in the last four.
Jabeur said: “Ajla plays really good. Even emotionally it was tough to manage the frustration when you have breaks and she keeps fighting.
Us open
The fifth-ranked Tunisian and Wimbledon finalist is having a stellar 2022 season, making five quarterfinals (Sydney, Stuttgart, San Jose, Dubai, Doha), three finals (Charleston, Rome, Wimbledon) and winning titles in Madrid and Berlin.
Madrid, in fact, was the start of historic spring and summer swings: She was the first player from Tunisia and Africa to win a WTA 1000 event, and later created even more history by becoming the first Arab woman to reach a semifinal and final of a Grand Slam, which she achieved at Wimbledon.
Long before she reached the world’s Top 10 and a career-high ranking of No. 2, Jabeur was inspirational to next generation—she was the first Arab junior to win a Grand Slam title in nearly 50 years when she won the girls’ singles title at the 2011 French Open—but growing up, she says she couldn’t have imagined being where she is right now.
“I grew up playing in a tennis club where there was only four courts, and it’s pretty small,” she said this week at the US Open, where she’s through to the fourth round for the first time in seven tries.
“Coming from Tunisia, it’s not easy to believe that you can be here one day, but thankfully I made it happen. I struggled a lot with injuries, especially after the juniors.
Having a game like mine, it’s kind of tough, because I had to really adapt [to] changing the rhythm and everything. But [it’s] just part of the process. I feel like you should always have difficulties to be stronger and to be here one day and face the best tennis players in the world.”