Emotions on hold as Mum Tatjana takes on Aunt Ons

LONDON: When barbecue buddies Ons Jabeur and Tatjana Maria step on to Centre Court for their Wimbledon semi-final on Thursday, the loyalties of an eight-year-old German girl who will be sitting in the players' box will be severely tested.

Mum-of-two Maria's run to the last four has been the feel-good story of these championships, with the 103rd-ranked German finally making the grade at the 49th attempt.

But considering she will be facing an opponent her eldest daughter Charlotte calls "Aunt Ons", there will be a friendly celebration at the end no matter who emerges victorious and earns the right to face either 2019 champion Simona Halep or Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in Saturday's final.

"I was joking with Charlotte, I was telling her 'Are you going to support me or your mom?' I'm trying to turn all the kids to my side," joked Tunisia's Jabeur, the first Arab to reach a Grand Slam singles semi-final.

World number two Jabeur will be the overwhelming favourite to win the showdown against her friend whose best showing at a major was a solitary third-round run at the All England Club in 2015. Of her previous 48 attempts, she did not even progress past qualifying 14 times.

But the one thing going in the 34-year-old's favour is that she knows she has the weapons to topple Jabeur, having beaten the third seed in their only meeting on the main tour.

"I always believed that I have something inside ... that I can do this. But to be now here in this spot ...," said Maria, who has had to juggle nappy changing duties with her on-court commitments.

"I mean one year ago I gave birth to my second daughter. If somebody would tell me one year later you are in a semi-final of Wimbledon, that's crazy.

"(I want to) show everybody that I'm still here