Ons Jabeur vows to 'fight till the end' to win Wimbledon after reaching quarter-finals

Tunisian sets up clash with Marie Bouzkova after seeing off Elise Mertens 7-6, 6-4

Ons Jabeur of Tunisia celebrates her victory over Elise Mertens of Belgium during their fourth-round match at the Wimbledon Championships. EPA

Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in action against Elise Mertens of Belgium. EPA

Ons Jabeur hits a forehand to Elise Mertens. EPA

Elise Mertens of Belgium in action against Ons Jabeur of Tunisia. EPA

Ons Jabeur serves to Elise Mertens. EPA

Elise Mertens returns to Ons Jabeur. EPA

Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in action. EPA

Ons Jabeur of Tunisia celebrates winning against Elise Mertens of Belgium. Getty

Elise Mertens in action during her fourth-round match against Ons Jabeur on Court 1. PA

Ons Jabeur collides with the net. PA

Ons Jabeur of Tunisia plays a backhand against Elise Mertens of Belgium. Getty

Elise Mertens of Belgium plays a forehand against Ons Jabeur of Tunisia. Getty

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur and Belgium's Elise Mertens shake hands at the end of their match. AFP

Ons Jabeur in action. PA

Belgium's Elise Mertens returns the ball to Tunisia's Ons Jabeur. AFP

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur eyes the ball as she returns it to Belgium's Elise Mertens. AFP

Belgium's Elise Mertens returns the ball to Tunisia's Ons Jabeur. AFP

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur in action. Reuters

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur reacts during her fourth-round match against Belgium's Elise Mertens. Reuters

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur returns the ball to Belgium's Elise Mertens. AP Photo

Ons Jabeur's hopes of becoming the first African to lift the Rosewater Dish gathered momentum on Sunday as she edged out Belgian Elise Mertens 7-6, 6-4 to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the second year running.

The second-ranked Tunisian, the only seed left in the bottom half of the women's draw, has been the form player over the opening week of the championships as she reached the last eight without dropping a set.

But Mertens was no pushover during the contest, as she earned five set points during a marathon first-set tiebreak.

Once Jabeur, 27, produced the firepower to wriggle out of trouble, however, she raised her game in the second set and wrapped up the win when Mertens surrendered with a double fault.

Just over a year ago, Jabeur became the first Arab woman to win a singles title on the elite women's tennis tour when she lifted the trophy in Birmingham — also a grass-court tournament.

“I love playing on grass, I love the connection between nature and me, so hopefully it will continue this way for me and maybe through the finals," Jabeur said.

Shaking off the disappointment of a first-round loss at the French Open, Jabeur's goals are “very high" at the All England Club.

“No matter who’s coming, I’m going to build the fight, I’m going to fight till the end because I really want the title,” said Jabeur, who has never reached a Grand Slam semi-final.

Up next is unseeded Czech player Marie Bouzkova, who advanced to her first Grand Slam quarter-final by beating Caroline Garcia of France 7-5, 6-2.

Simona Halep is the last Grand Slam champion standing on the women’s side. The 16th-seeded Romanian won at Wimbledon in 2019 and at the French Open the year before that. She faces fourth-seeded Paula Badosa in the fourth round on Monday.

Tatjana Maria of Germany. EPA

Jabeur and Badosa are all that's left of the top 15 seeds.

Also Sunday, Tatjana Maria eliminated 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final at the age of 34.

“I always believed that at one point I can show what I can do,” said the 103rd-ranked Maria, who ousted fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari in the third round. “I’m happy that today, I mean, I came back when I was down, so I’m proud of myself.”

Maria will face 22-year-old Jule Niemeier, who is making her All England Club debut, in an all-German showdown for a place in the semi-finals. The 97th-ranked Niemeier advanced by beating Heather Watson 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court in just her second Grand Slam tournament.

Jabeur described her match, particularly the tiebreaker, as “10 out of 10 stressful" but that she's coping better now.

“I am breathing better. I’m expressing more my feelings before the matches. That helps me, like, really play the game that I want to play,” she said.

“Me, I’m just someone that enjoys life a lot. For me, a tennis career is going to be very short. What’s more important for me is my character and how people talk about me.”