For the fifth time in a row, a new champion has been crowned in the Wimbledon women’s singles tournament as Elena Rybakina defeated Ons Jabeur in the final.
Rybakina rallied from a set down to overcome the Tunisian Jabeur 3-6 6-2 6-2 to win her maiden Grand Slam title. The 23-year-old, who is one of the rising young stars on the WTA Tour, was thrilled with her incredible accomplishment as she became the first Kazakh to win a tennis Grand Slam.
And despite her defeat, Jabeur still kept an optimistic perspective about the future, and she is not alone in believing this is the beginning of bigger and better things for the 27-year-old.
So read on below as SBOTOP shares all the coverage from the Wimbledon women’s singles final.
Rybakina rallies to claim historic Wimbledon win
Elena Rybakina made history by becoming the first player from Kazakhstan to win a Grand Slam championship after she came from a set behind to beat Ons Jabeur 3-6 6-2 6-2 in the Wimbledon final.
Rybakina admitted post-match that she was still in shock that she accomplished the historic feat of claiming a Grand Slam title.
“I still can’t believe it,” she said. “Maybe one day, in a few days, I [will] sit down and I realise what I did. But for now I’m super proud of myself. Of course, my team and everybody who worked with me. It’s been tough, but I think we made it all together.”
Despite defeating former World No. 1 Simona Halep in the semi-finals, the Wimbledon 2022 betting odds still had Rybakina as the underdog heading into her final matchup against World No. 2 Jabeur, and the 23-year-old had a rough start as she lost the first set.
But after that nervy opening set riddled with 17 unforced errors, Rybakina made adjustments and grew stronger as the match wore on as she won the next two sets to complete her comeback.
“Maybe in the first set I was too nervous. Of course, Ons, she played well. I needed time to adjust to her game. But then I thought that I’m going to fight till the end no matter what. Just tried to focus on every point because it was very tough. “
Ons Jabeur remains optimistic about her future
Ons Jabeur missed her chance at making her own bit of history as her bid to become the first African and Arab woman to win a Grand Slam final in the Open era fell short.
But Jabeur was still upbeat despite suffering that final defeat and believes her time to win a Grand Slam will eventually come.
“I’m definitely positive about [holding the runners-up shield],” she said.
“I’m very glad with my results. I don’t regret anything. I gave it all today. A final, I lose so many at the beginning, then step back and win one more. I don’t disbelieve in myself and I know that I’m going to come back and win a Grand Slam, for sure.”
After taking a well-deserved break, the No. 2-ranked player on the WTA Tour will return to competition at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, which begins in August, as begins her preparation for the US Open. She is already excited to get back in action and chase more titles.
“I really cannot wait to play my next tournament, especially that I’m going to the States, and I know there is a lot of crazy fans there,” Jabeur said.
“This is just the beginning of so many things. I’m very positive about it. I wanted really bad that title. Maybe because I want it too much, I didn’t have it.”
Calm Rybakina tipped for more Grand Slam glory
Elena Rybakina made plenty of Wimbledon 2022 highlights as she came back from a set down to win the final. But perhaps her most memorable highlight of the entire tournament was her calm and stoic reaction to winning her first Grand Slam title.
Former World No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander believes the Kazakh’s calm and collected personality will be key to her winning more Grand Slams in her career.
“You’re seeing the reactions here of a woman who’s very calm on the inside,” Wilander said.
“Most probably wild in terms of emotions, but that’s how she turned the match around. I don’t think you can ask someone who’s come back from a set down – and win against somebody who is as complicated as Ons Jabeur – to go crazy afterwards in her speech.
“You see what you get with Elena Rybakina – she’s going to win many more majors if she stays that calm.”
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