Ons Jabeur becomes First Woman to reach Grand Slam Final at Wimbledon 2022

Ons Jabeur’s steady progress from year to year — up the tennis rankings, through the draws of various tournaments and, now, at Wimbledon — has carried her to a Grand Slam singles final, the first woman from Africa to make it that far in the professional era.

The No. 3-seeded Jabeur, a 27-year-old from Tunisia, got past her good friend Tatjana Maria 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in an up-and-down semifinal at a sun-splashed Centre Court on Thursday.

Jabeur is on quite a run right now: She has won 11



consecutive matches and 22 of her past 24. Since pro players were first admitted to major tennis tournaments in 1968, never had an African been to a final. She also is the first Arab woman to get that far.

“I’m a proud Tunisian woman standing here today. I know in Tunisia, they’re going crazy right now. I just try to inspire, really, as much as I can,” she said. “I want to see more and more — not just Tunisian — Arab, African players on tour. I just love the game and I want to share this experience with them.”