Wimbledon semifinal: Ons Jabeur beat Tatjana Maria while Elena Rybakina beat Simona Halep. (File)Wimbledon 2022 Women’s Semifinals Highlights: Elena Rybakina beat Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets to set up a Wimbledon final with Ons Jabeur on Thursday.
Earlier, in the first semifinal, Ons Jabeur beat another newcomer to this stage at a major tournament — Tatjana Maria courtesy of a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win. Jabeur also created history after becoming the first Arab woman to reach the finals at a Grand Slam tournament. The third-seeded Tunisian improved on last year’s quarterfinal run at Wimbledon by entering the final on Saturday.
Live Blog
Wimbledon 2022 Singles Semifinals Highlights: Ons Jabeur vs Tatjana Maria in the first match of the day, followed by Simon Halep vs Elena Rybakina
Wimbledon 2022 Singles Semifinals Highlights: In the semifinals on Thursday, again on Centre Court, Third-seeded Ons Jabeur will play Tatjana Maria in the first semifinal match. They advanced by winning their quarterfinal matches on Tuesday. Halep will face Elena Rybakina in the second match of the day.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
GAME, SET, MATCH! Brilliant backhand return from Rybakina is through to the final. A star is born and Rybakina is into her maiden Slam final with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Halep! She is the youngest Wimbledon finalist since 2015
Rybakina is serving ferociously and is not going to let any point go by. She's now on the brink of a first Grand Slam final... and more than deserves it if she can get the job done.
Terrific serve from Rybakina, and she is now one game closer to making it to the finals. Can Halep change the course of the game? She'll certainly have to improve her serving if so.
We are into the second set and Halep is dishing out her favourite shots and is off the mark in the second set. But she still needs to do more to turn this around.
Rybakina wins the first set. An ace to start and then a couple more but Halep brings it back to 40-30. However, she fires wide and that's the first set done and dusted.
Big-hitting by both the players at 15-15 and Rybakina moves across the court and then challenges a call. Hawkeye says the ball was in, 15-30. Back at 30-30 and then Halep holds when Rybakina slices a forehand long. An important one at this stage.
Halep is up and running! A drop shot from Rybakina... close. Just clips the top of the net. Halep wasn’t moving for it. Backhand is then long from Rybakina and Halep is on the board.
An early break as Rybakina wins three points in a row and Halep then double faults and Rybakina hits sweetly into the corner to earn an early break.
The second women’s semifinal match between Simona Halep and Elena Rybakina has started on Centre Court at Wimbledon. Halep won the title at the All England Club in 2019. Rybakina has never been this far at a major tournament. The winner will play Ons Jabeur in Saturday’s final.
17-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) v 16-Simona Halep (Romania)
Ons Jabeur becomes the first African woman and Arab player in the Open era to contest a grand slam tennis final, with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win over Tatjana Maria at Wimbledon .
A second break point for Jabeur now and Maria misses a very good chance of a smash! Goes long and JABEUR BREAKS AGAIN! That could be curtains for the Maria
Jabeur brings out her forehand to good effect and gets the volley straight at Maria, who passes her well, a big serve then seals her consolidation to 15. She is halfway there.
Jabeur 6-2 3-6 *Maria (*denotes server) | Maria races to 40-0 and a lengthy rally ends with Jabeur hitting it into the nets. We are into the decider
Maria is in command and at 30-15, she manages to squeeze and hit a forehand and closes it at 40-30 One game away from a decider.
At 40-30, Jabeur comes up with brilliant improvisation and picks up the ball from behind and flicks it back past Maria. Sublime work from the Tunisian and she is in the driver's seat.
Nice drop shot from Jabeur! Running backward behind her shoulder and still manages to get the angle, well done. MARIA BREAKS SERVE!
After Maria clinched the first game of the 2nd set relatively easily, the 2nd game is a lot close with Jabeur getting her nose in front at 40-30. Out!! Deuce. Jabeur with te advantage. And she takes it.
The first ace of the match sets Jabeur away followed by another. The set is clinched soon enough in this one-sided affair. Maria will need to up her game to stand any chance.
Excellent forehand by Maria to take the initiative in this game. 15-0. What a touch by Maria next which Jabeur fails to return. 30-0. The backhand fails her spectacularly asJabeur brings it to 30-30. And Jabeur gets her nose in fromt. Huge forehand whic Maria could not keep inside the playing are. Game. Jabeur.
After a break, we are back in the centre as Jabuer seves. great smash to go up 15-0. Great forehand rally. Massive slice to place the ball past Maria to make it 30-0. Maria comes back with a well placed shot over Jabeur's head that juist lands inside. Next, a huge forehand from Jabeur goes awry to make it 30-30. Another slice and another well-placed shot gives Jabeur the lead again. 40-30. What a snappy backhand to take the game!!!
Jabeur slices on the return, gives away 30-15 but redeems herself with two better points. Another break point, her fourth in two games, comes and goes but a double quickly hands her a further opportunity. This time, Maria nets a slice and Jabeur breaks and looks far too good despite not having settled yet.
Jabeur settles herself and goes 40-0 up in no time in the second game before Maria makes a comeback due to Jabuer shot that fails to stay in play. A backhand by Maria hits te net and it's Jabeur's game.
And we are off. maria will serve first. Evenly fought contest with a deuce in the very first game. What a rally but Maria gets the better of Jabeur to bring it to 40-40 after the latter had an advantage. It's a see-saw game with each women not giving an inch. Finally. Maria takes the first game.
The players are on the court. Both are good friends off the pitch but that will go out of the window as a place in the final is at stake. </p
5-Number of first-time Grand Slam semifinalists at Wimbledon this year, the most at any major tournament since the 1997 U.S. Open — Jabeur, Kyrgios, Maria, Rybakina and Cam Norrie.
“It’s going to be a great match between us, a lot of respect, for sure," Jabeur says of her surprise semifinal with the 103rd-ranked Maria. “Maybe not be friends for two hours—or I don’t know how long the match will go—and be friends again at the end.”
Jabeur will be determined to inspire the next generation with her ground-breaking run as she targets becoming the first Arab and first woman from Africa to win a major.
The one thing going in favour of Maria is that she knows she has the weapons to topple Jabeur, having beaten the third seed in their only meeting on the main tour. 'I always believed that I have something inside... that I can do this. But to be now here in this spot...,' said Maria, who has had to juggle nappy changing duties with her on-court commitments.
WOMEN’S SINGLES SEMI-FINALS:
3-Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) v Tatjana Maria (Germany)
17-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) v 16-Simona Halep (Romania)
Ons Jabeur and Tatjana Maria step onto Centre Court for their Wimbledon semi-final on Thursday. World number two Jabeur will be the overwhelming favourite to win the showdown against Maria whose best showing at a major was a solitary third-round run at the All England Club in 2015. Of her previous 48 attempts, she did not even progress past qualifying 14 times.