Aryna Sabalenka responded to
Ons Jabeur's disappointment over her quick match in
Wimbledon.
The Belarusian player advanced to the semifinals after a comfortable victory over American Madison Keys in straight sets. Aryna Sabalenka is the second seed and is just one match away from becoming the world No. 1. With Iga Swiatek's elimination (at the hands of Elina Svitolina), reaching the final would be enough for her to claim the top spot in the rankings.
She faces a tough challenge ahead as she takes on Ons Jabeur, who reached the final of the 2022 Wimbledon and has had a great week, including victories over Petra Kvitova, Bianca Andreescu, and defending champion Elena Rybakina.
Jabeur played a three-set match against Rybakina, taking 1 hour and 55 minutes to secure the victory. On the other hand, Sabalenka took less than an hour and a half to defeat Keys comfortably with a score of 6-2, 6-4, showing her superiority over the American player.
Regarding Jabeur's comments, the world No. 2 referred to them in a post-match press conference, saying:
"I saw that. I was in the locker room watching her interview. Sending her kisses and love."
"I think it's not going to give me any advantage, but anyway, it's going to be a great battle, tough match. So, it doesn't matter what she said, it's just, just a fun girl."
Sabalenka and Jabeur will face each other on Friday on the Center Court, vying for a spot in the final. On the other side of the draw, there are two players who have surprised the favorites, with a match between Ukrainian Elina Svitolina and Czech Marketa Vondrousova.
In the quarterfinals, two out of the three favorites (Rybakina and Swiatek) have already been eliminated, making Sabalenka the top contender to win the third Grand Slam of the year. However, Jabeur has shown in these past two weeks that she has the level to claim her first Slam title, after finishing as a runner-up in two finals in 2022.