Ons Jabert became the first African and the first Arab player to reach a Grand Slam final after defeating Germany’s Tatiana Maria in three sets at Wimbledon.
Jaber, 27, won 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in one hour and 43 minutes and will face the winner of the second semi-final between Elena Rybakina and Simona Halep.
“I don’t know what to say — it’s a dream come true … from years and years of work and sacrifice,” Jabert said in a courtside interview.
After running away with the final set, the Tunisian took a moment after celebrating her own success to ensure the crowd also celebrated the achievement of her great friend Maria, who reached her first Grand Slam semi-final just a year after giving birth to her second child .
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“She’s got to barbecue me now to make up for all the balls she made me run for!” she joked, before adding: “I wanted to share the moment with her at the end… she’s such an inspiration to me coming back after two babies. I still can’t believe how he did it.”
Paul MacInnes’ report will follow here
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