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Ons Jabeur Roland Garros

Ons Jabeur determined to become first Arab to compete in WTA Finals


Ons Jabeur marched into the semi-finals in Chicago and revealed her motivation to become the first Arab to reach the WTA Finals.

The Tunisian battled past top seed Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-2 after initially trailing 4-1 in the opening set to progress to the semi-final stage.

The 27-year-old finally ended her three-match losing streak against the Ukrainian in her 43rd match of the year, tying her with second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka for the most on tour.

“I’m glad that I’m learning from my losses against her or against any other player. The most important thing is the hard work through the years. I’m a different player right now,” Jabeur said.

“I have played a lot of matches, I have much more experience, and to manage the stress, to manage the fact that I had opportunities, it’s amazing to see that it’s paying off.”

Jabeur has already made history after becoming the first Arab to win a WTA event in Birmingham earlier this year, and is now determined to make next month’s WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico.

“Knowing I can be the first Arab to qualify, it’s really unbelievable, you know, and it’s more stress on me,” she said.

The sixth-seeded Jabeur will play fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina in the semifinals. Rybakina led Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic 6-4, 3-1 when Bencic retired because of a right knee injury.


Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.