Ons Jabeur
expressed her dissatisfaction with
Aryna Sabalenka's quick victory over Madison
Keys in the
Wimbledon quarterfinals.
The
Tunisian player defeated 2022 Wimbledon champion
Elena Rybakina in the
quarterfinals, in a rematch of the previous year's final. Jabeur faced a tough
battle, losing the first set in a tiebreak, but she bounced back to win the
next two sets and take the match 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1.
Despite not
coming into Wimbledon in her best form, Jabeur has defeated several tough
opponents, including Bianca Andreescu, Petra Kvitova, and Elena Rybakina. In
her quest for another final at the All England Club, Jabeur will face world No.
2 Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Madison Keys in straight sets to reach the
semifinals for the second time in her career.
Just before
facing the Belarusian player, Jabeur emphasized her discontent with Sabalenka's
quick win in the previous round:
"I saw
she won very quick which I wasn't happy with," Jabeur said.
"She's
an amazing player. Hits very fast like Elena, so it's going to be very
challenging. She's No. 1 in the race right now. Difficult match, but I'm going
to keep this spirit with me, and hopefully, the crowd will be with me,"
she added.
Jabeur and
Sabalenka have faced each other four times, with three victories for the 2023
Australian Open champion and one for the African player. Their only meeting on
grass occurred at Wimbledon in 2021, with Sabalenka emerging victorious.
Regarding
her victory over Rybakina, Jabeur commented:
"I wish we could exchange this
match from the final last year."
"I'm very happy with the
performance, a lot of emotion out there," she said.
"Especially
playing someone that serves really well. It's frustrating to return but I'm
glad I did everything. Shouted, angry then got calm and focused. Hopefully I
can keep managing my emotions for the next few matches," Jabeur
concluded.