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Ons Jabeur: Wimbledon final experience has aided US Open run

Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur is into the second Grand Slam semi-final of her career
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 29 August-11 September
Coverage: Daily radio commentaries across BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app, with selected live text commentaries and match reports on the website and app

Ons Jabeur says the confidence she gained from reaching the Wimbledon final this year has helped her reach the last four at the US Open.

Jabeur, the fifth seed, will now face Caroline Garcia of France for a place in the final at Flushing Meadows in New York.

“It was very tough coming here,” she said. “The hard court season wasn’t great for me, but Wimbledon helped a lot, for sure.

“Knowing I can make finals of Grand Slams really helped my game.

“I think the fact I broke that barrier of being in the quarter-finals did help with my confidence. I believe more in myself.”

Jabeur had gone into the Wimbledon final ranked and seeded ahead of her Kazakh opponent Elena Rybakina.

However, while looking to become the first African or Arab woman to win a Grand Slam in the Open era, she lost in three sets.

“It’s true that I lost the final but I know that I can win a Grand Slam,” Jabeur said.

“I had to be patient and kept working hard, and here I am in the semi-finals at the US Open.”

Elena Rybakina (left) and Ons Jabeur
Jabeur lost the 2022 Wimbledon final to Elena Rybakina

At times in the second set against Australian Tomljanovic, Jabeur cut a frustrated figure, and she was jeered by the crowd when she twice threw her racquet to the ground.

In her on-court interview after victory, she joked she may be “fired as the Minister of Happiness” – her nickname in her home country given her more regular smiling disposition.

“I’m very happy that I could adapt very fast on the hard court,” she added.

“The most important thing for me is really proving to myself that I can play on any surface and that’s very, very important for me and for my confidence.”

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Source: BBC

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