Ons Jabeur 'digs deep' to reach Wimbledon final after thrilling win over Aryna Sabalenka

After her Wimbledon quarter-final on Wednesday, Ons Jabeur said she wished she could swap that revenge win over Elena Rybakina for victory in last year's final. Maybe she can have both.

That's because, 24 hours after eliminating the defending champion in a rematch of last year's titanic title battle, Jabeur is through to her second successive Wimbledon final after a thrilling 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory over the fearsome second seed Aryna Sabalenka.

Having neutralised the menacing weapons of Rybakina, Jabeur was again confronted with another of the tour's most powerful players. Yet once again, the Tunisian stared down the danger, using her guile and artistry, and – perhaps most importantly – her newfound mental fortitude to battle back and secure a remarkable win.

“I’m working a lot with my mental coach on this and it's helped me a lot," Jabeur, 28, said. "I'm very proud of myself because maybe old me would have lost the match and be back home already. I'm glad I was able to dig deep and find the strength.”

Dig deep she did. There was nothing between the two players during a fiercely-contested opening set and it was Jabeur who took first advantage in the tiebreak to lead 4-2 after a spectacular gliding passing shot down the line. But when Sabalenka edged ahead at 5-4, Jabeur's composure appeared to momentarily slip, slapping herself on the thigh a few times in frustration. She hit the next point into the net to give Sabalenka set point, which the Belarusian seized for a one-set lead.

When Jabeur was broken in the second set and trailed 4-2, it appeared the writing was on the wall. But that would be to discount the Tunisian's new resolve, and after levelling at 4-4, it was Jabeur who was largely in control for the remainder of