After her Wimbledon quarter-final on Wednesday, Ons Jabeur said she wished she could swap that revenge win over Elena Rybakina for victory in last year's final. Maybe she can have both.
That's because, 24 hours after eliminating the defending champion in a rematch of last year's titanic title battle, Jabeur is through to her second successive Wimbledon final after a thrilling 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory over the fearsome second seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Having neutralised the menacing weapons of Rybakina, Jabeur was again confronted with another of the tour's most powerful players. Yet once again, the Tunisian stared down the danger, using her guile and artistry, and – perhaps most importantly – her newfound mental fortitude to battle back and secure a remarkable win.
“I’m working a lot with my mental coach on this and it's helped me a lot," Jabeur, 28, said. "I'm very proud of myself because maybe old me would have lost the match and be back home already. I'm glad I was able to dig deep and find the strength.”
Dig deep she did. There was nothing between the two players during a fiercely-contested opening set and it was Jabeur who took first advantage in the tiebreak to lead 4-2 after a spectacular gliding passing shot down the line. But when Sabalenka edged ahead at 5-4, Jabeur's composure appeared to momentarily slip, slapping herself on the thigh a few times in frustration. She hit the next point into the net to give Sabalenka set point, which the Belarusian seized for a one-set lead.
When Jabeur was broken in the second set and trailed 4-2, it appeared the writing was on the wall. But that would be to discount the Tunisian's new resolve, and after levelling at 4-4, it was Jabeur who was largely in control for the remainder of the match.
Four straight games sealed the second set for Jabeur, who then claimed the all-important break in the decider to lead 4-2. She had two match points with Sabalenka serving at 2-5, but the Belarusian held firm to force the world No 6 to serve out the victory.
Having eased into a 40-0 lead and roared on by the Centre Court crowd, a few nerves surfaced as two more match points came and went but there was no denying Jabeur on the fifth, a laser-like ace catching the line to send the Tunisian into the final.
“Thank you to the crowd for keeping me in the match because it was very difficult accepting her serves and shots, so thank you guys for cheering for me until the last moment and believing in me," said Jabeur, who becomes the first woman since Serena Williams in 2019 to reach successive Wimbledon finals.
When Jabeur navigated her way to the final last year, she took advantage of a somewhat fortuitous draw as seeded players dropped out in the earlier stages of the tournament. That's certainly not been the case this year, though, as Jabeur eliminated four major champions - Bianca Andreescu, Petra Kvitova, Rybakina, and Sabalenka - en route to the final.
Jabeur next faces another tough challenge if she's to finally land her first Grand Slam title. Marketa Vondrousova may not be a major champion but she has beaten Jabeur twice this year, including at the Australian Open at the start of the season.
"Marketa is a great player and I’ve already lost two times to her this year, so I’m going for my revenge again," Jabeur said. "I guess it’s working! Hopefully the crowd will be here again.”
Saturday's final represents a different scenario entirely to when Jabeur tearfully exited the second round of the Australian Open to Vondrousova in January. Then, the Tunisian was struggling with a knee injury which required surgery. Now, she is happy, healthy, and competing on a surface she has proved to be the best in the world on.
Still, this is no time to relax and as the favourite, the pressure will be all on Jabuer. Not that she's letting that faze her having learnt from last year's heartbreaking final losses at Wimbledon and the US Open.
“I’m learning to transform the bad energy into a good one," Jabeur said. "Some things I have no control over ... but I was able to accept it and dig deep to win this match – and hopefully win this tournament.”
