When Thursday afternoon began, the Wimbledon women’s singles final held the possibility of featuring a new mother from Ukraine taking on a player seeking to become the first woman from an Arab country to win a Grand Slam singles title, or her facing a Belarusian in a match that would overflow with wartime tension.
When it was over, Elina Svitolina of Ukraine was out, but Ons Jabeur’s dream was still alive after her stirring comeback win over Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Sabalenka would have become the world No. 1 with a win on a hostile Centre Court, but instead, Jabeur, the crafty and athletic Tunisian, showcased her skills and plenty of grit in a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 victory.
For a set and a half, Sabalenka overpowered Jabeur, and she got within two games of advancing to the final and taking the top ranking. But down a set and by 4-2 in the second, Jabeur dug in. She found a way to manage Sabalenka’s rocket serves, took advantage of an increasingly edgy opponent and won 10 of the next 13 games to set up a date in Saturday’s final against an unlikely opponent, Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, who earlier in the day ended Svitolina’s improbable run in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
“Crazy match,” said Jabeur, a groundbreaking figure for the Arab world. “One more…
