Second seed Aryna Sabalenka is through to the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career after beating Ons Jabeur at Wimbledon.
The world No.4 roared her way to a 6-4, 6-3, victory with the help of some blistering serving and powerful hitting. In total she hit 27 winners against 20 unforced errors and broke three times en route to victory. Continuing what has been a dream run for Sabalenka who had never been beyond the second round of Wimbledon until this year.
“I’m really happy with this win. It is always tough matches against Ons. She’s such a great player and an amazing person so it’s always tough to play against her,” she said.
“I’m really happy that I could win today.”
The showdown was a clash of two of the most impressive female players in this year’s draw. Sabalenka, who had never reached the quarter-final of a Grand Slam until now, utilized her power to her advantage with her aggressive game-style. Meanwhile, Tunisian history maker Jabeur use of the drop shot and careful ball placement has seen her score wins over Iga Swiatek and Garbine Muguruza. Both players have won 33 matches in 2021 going into the Wimbledon quarter-finals which was more than any other player on the WTA Tour.
Fittingly the start of their encounter saw little difference between the two as they stood firm behind their serve. Nudging ahead 5-4, Sabalenka launched her first major offensive on Center Court. Punishing the Jabeur serve with some blistering returns, she earned three set points but was unable to convert any of them due to some tentative hitting. Nevertheless, she was not deterred. A failed drop shot from Jabeur from the baseline granted her a fourth opportunity. This time she converted by hitting a cross-court forehand which forced her opponent to return the ball into the net.
Continuing to win the mini battles, Sabalenka battled back from 0-40 to hold at the start of the second frame. The opposite happened in the following game with Jabeur trailing 0-40 but she failed to come back. Moving a determined Sabalenka closer to a milestone victory.
The route to victory wasn’t entirely straightforward with Jabeur once again hitting back to draw level at 2-2. Reviving her hopes of becoming the first Arab player in history to reach a major semi-final. However, Sabalenka continued to weather the storm against her rival who was becoming more frustrated with her game. Leading 4-3, another drop shot mistake from the world No.24 gave her yet another chance to break. She did so with a backhand drive which also awarded her the chance to serve out the match. On her first match point Sabalenka triumphed with a clean backhand winner, which prompted her to throw her fists into the air and celebrate.
“Sometimes there are really tricky shorts on the grass and it is tough to do anything with the ball,” Sabalenka reflected afterwards. “But I’m really happy that I’m still here in the tournament and somehow I’ve found a way to win matches here. This surface is amazing. It’s fit’s my game and I’m enjoying every second.”
The 23-year-old will next play Karolina Pliskova, who looked to be in top form during her quarter-final clash. She has beaten the Czech twice before on the Tour but that was back in 2018.
“It doesn’t matter what happened in the past,” she said. “You never know what is going to happen, especially on the WTA Tour. It’s going to be a tough match. She’s a great player, serves well and her games also fit well on the grass.”
Wimbledon is the 11th consecutive Grand Slam where Sabalenka has been seeded in the draw.
