Elena Rybakina beats Ons Jabeur to win 2022 Wimbledon
Number 17 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan came back from behind to take down Ons Jabeur in the women's singles final of 2022 Wimbledon. Rybakina lost the first set 3-6 but made a stunning comeback to tame the Tunisian 6-2, 6-2. This is Rybakina's maiden Grand Slam title. Making her Wimbledon debut last year, Rybakina has raced to a 10-1 win-loss record here.
Jabeur managed to drop just three sets in 2022 Wimbledon event across seven matches. She has raced to a 36-10 win-loss record in 2022. Jabeur, who had reached the quarters here last season, has a 10-5 win-loss record. Overall in Slams, Jabeur's tally reads 32-21.
The 27-year-old Jabeur made history for the Arab and African world as the first woman from either region to make a Grand Slam final. Last month, she pocketed the 2022 German Open. She led Belinda Bencic 6-3, 2-1 before the Swiss star retired midway through the match. She won the 2022 Madrid Open, beating Jessica Pegula. However, she failed to win a third title.
Jabeur beat Mirjam Bjorklund 6-2, 6-3 in the first round. She overcame Katarzyna Kawa 6-4, 6-0 next. In the 3rd round, Jabeur eased past Diane Perry 6-2, 6-3. The fourth round saw Jabeur beat Elise Mertens 7-6, 6-4. In the quarters, Jabeur went past Marie Bouzkova 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. In the semis, she beat Tatjana Maria 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
As per Opta, Rybakina has become the 57th different Grand Slam female winner in the Open Era and the 23rd in Wimbledon. As per WTA, Saturday's match was the first time in the Open Era, two first-time Slam finalists competed at Wimbledon against each other. Jabeur had become the oldest woman to make her first Wimbledon singles final since Nathalie Tauziat in 1998.
Jabeur has an 11-1 win-loss record in matches played on grass in 2022. As per Opta, since 2000, only Maria Sharapova in 2004 (12/12) and Serena Williams in 2012 (13/13) have played 12+ matches on grass in a single season without a single defeat. Jabeur has faced only three losses in her last 25 matches. Her tally reads 22-3.
This was the fourth meet between Rybakina and Jabeur in the WTA match-ups. The tally is 2-2 now in these encounters. Rybakina has a 28-12 win-loss record in 2022. She has claimed her maiden title this season and third overall.
Rybakina prevailed over CoCo Vandeweghe 7-6(2), 7-5 in the first round. She hammered Canada's Bianca Andreescu 6-4, 7-6(5) in the second round. In the third round, Rybakina ousted China's Qinwen Zheng in straight sets 7-6(4), 7-5. She bested Petra Martic 7-5, 6-3 in the round of 16. She outclassed Ajla Tomljanovic 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in quarters. She beat Simona Halep in semis (6-3, 6-3).
With this win, Rybakina has a 10-2 record at Wimbledon. The 2021 French Open quarter-finalist has a 7-4 record in the clay-court event. She has a 3-3 win-loss record in US Open, having reached the third round in 2021. Rybakina, who had a third-round exit in 2020 Australian Open, has a 4-3 record in the tourney.
As per Opta, Rybakina is the fourth-lowest ranked (23) female player to reach the final in Wimbledon since 1984, only ranked higher than Serena Williams in 2018 (181), Venus Williams in 2007 (31), and Sabine Lisicki in 2013 (24). She is also the youngest Wimbledon finalist since Garbine Muguruza in 2015.
Rybakina served four aces compared to Jabeur's three. As per WTA, Rybakina went past 50 aces at 2022 Wimbledon. Rybakina has struck 221 aces this season, This is the most on the WTA Tour. No other player has hit more than 200 aces this season.
Elena Rybakina rises to the occasion ✨
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2022
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