For the first time in the Open Era, the Wimbledon ladies’ singles championship match features two players making their Major singles final debuts. And both are also the first players from their countries to achieve this milestone.
Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur is a 27-year-old who has previously reached two Slam quarterfinals, including at this event a year ago. She owns three career WTA titles, two of which came this season, and overall is 3-5 in finals. Jabeur is an undefeated 11-0 on grass in 2022, and advanced to this stage dropping only two sets. And as Reem Abulleil highlighted, she will play this final on the first day of Eid Al Adha, a holiday celebrated by Arabs and Muslims, many of whom will surely be watching Ons and cheering her on.
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina is a 23-year-old who had previously reached one Slam quarterfinal, at Roland Garros a year ago. She owns two career WTA titles, both of which came over two years ago, and overall is 2-6 in finals. Rybakina started the 2020 season on a tear, with a record of 21-4 and advancing to four finals. No player’s upward momentum was impacted by the pandemic more than Elena’s, but now she is into her first Major final with the loss of only one set. She was actually born in Russia, and represented that country until 2018. If she still did, Elena would have banned from playing in this tournament.
Also on Saturday, the gentlemen’s doubles semifinals will be played.
Ons Jabeur (2) vs. Elena Rybakina (17) – 2:00pm on Centre Court
Jabeur leads their head-to-head 2-1, and has taken their two most recent meetings, both of which occurred last season. In Dubai, Ons prevailed in three sets. In Chicago, Ons was up a set when Elena retired during the second set. And Jabeur has been the better performer in 2022, with a record of 36-9, compared to 27-12 for Rybakina.
Jabeur’s slice-and-dice style is tailor-made for this surface. And her serving prowess is perhaps a bit underrated. As per Simon Cambers, Ons has won 63% of second serve points, which leads the women’s event. Yet it’s Rybakina’s serve that is a true weapon. Across her last three matches, Elena has struck 26 aces and only one double fault. And through all six of her matches, she’s won over 77% of her first serve points.
Rybakina certainly has the firepower to dictate play and decide the outcome on Saturday, but maintaining a high enough level and avoiding unforced errors against the variety of Jabeur will be challenging. Ons has a lot more options in her arsenal, and possesses significantly more experience in big matches. Elena has only played one tour final within the past 18 months, and she’s lost her last four. By contrast, this is already Jabeur’s fifth final of the season, and she’s claimed two of her last three. And considering their recent history head-to-head, Ons is a considerable favorite to win her first Major title on Saturday.
Other Notable Matches on Saturday:
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic (2) vs. Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell (14) – Mektic and Pavic are looking to defend their title from a year ago. Ebden and Purcell were finalists six months ago at the Australian Open, and Ebden was also a runner-up earlier this week in the mixed doubles event. The Australians saved five match points in the third-set tiebreak of their semifinal, while Mektic and Pavic survived a fifth-set tiebreak in the same round. These teams have never met before.
Saturday’s full Order of Play is here.
