Ons Jabeur on track for more history as Wimbledon title comes into sharp focus

On a day when Wimbledon celebrated 100 years of its hallowed Centre Court, and a string of legendary past champions was introduced into the arena to rapturous applause, somewhere else on the grounds of the All England Club, a current player was preparing to continue her latest bid for more history of her own.

Ons Jabeur has been breaking ground for much of her career but those pioneering efforts have reached an entirely new level the past few years. The Tunisian can lay claim to numerous 'first Arab woman' milestones in tennis: the first to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final, the first to win a WTA Tour title, the first to win a Masters title. At a career-high No 2, Jabeur is the highest-ranked African or Arab player – male or female – in history.

An inspiration to African and Arab girls and boys, it is a status Jabeur has embraced. "I don't come from a rich family, so you have to stop finding excuses, go for it, and be yourself," she said on Sunday after booking her place in the quarter-finals with a 7-6, 6-4 over Belgian 24th seed Elise Mertens.

Now Jabeur is just three victories away from a first Grand Slam trophy, and expectations are rapidly increasing that this year's Wimbledon will be the scene of her breakthrough triumph.

Most important has been Jabeur's own form. The 27-year-old is yet to drop a set, and having raced through the first three rounds, impressed once again when faced with the step up in quality presented by Mertens in the last 16. The Tunisian is currently on a nine-match winning run, which includes the Berlin title in the lead-up to Wimbledon.

While Jabeur would fancy her chances against anyone at present, her title hopes have been aided significantly by the earlier-than-expected exits of several