Tunisian Jabeur downs Maria to become first Arab in major final

LONDON: When Ons Jabeur sealed the match point that made her the first Arab to reach a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon on Thursday (Jul 7) all she could think of was rushing over to her vanquished barbecue buddy at the net to give Tatjana Maria the tightest of hugs.

While Jabeur's coach Issam Jellali jumped to his feet with raised arms to join 15,000 cheering fans in hailing the first African woman to reach the title match, Jabeur simply smiled as she ended Maria's remarkable run with a 6-2 3-6 6-1 victory.

She then immediately turned her thoughts to fulfilling a vow she had made on the eve of the contest - that the "hug at the end will be amazing". She was not wrong.

The two players held each other across the net for what seemed an eternity, with both whispering into each other's ears.

With the cheers still ringing around the stands, Jabeur pulled Maria to her side of the court and joined in the applause to salute the 34-year-old German who had become the first mother of two in a Wimbledon semi-final since Margaret Court in 1975.

"I don't know what to say. It's a dream come true from years of work and sacrifice. I'm happy that's paid off and I'll continue for one more match," Jabeur told the crowd after setting up a final showdown with Russian-born Kazakh 17th seed Elena Rybakina.

"Physically Tatjana is a beast, she doesn't give up... she has to make me a barbecue for all the running I did on the court!" joked Jabeur, who is called "Aunt Ons" by Maria's eldest daughter Charlotte.

Maria's unexpected showing has been the feel-good story of these championships, with the German, who was ranked outside the top 300 in January, finally making the last four in a Grand Slam at the 49th attempt.

In fact, before this week her best