Elena Rybakina won her first Wimbledon title after overcoming Tunisian World number two Ons Jabeur in three sets after recovering from an early setback in the final. The 23-year-old became the first Kazakhstani national to win a major title.
Jabeur and Rybakina booked their places in the final after defeating Tatjana Maria and Simona Halep, respectively, in the semi-finals. Jabeur became the first Arab or African woman to reach a Grand Slam final.
The 27-year-old Jabeur started the final against her opponent in control of the match, and she took the first set 6-3. The 17th seed Rybakina recovered well and took the second set 6-2 in dominant fashion. She went on to replicate the performance in the third set, sealing a 3-6 6-2 6-2 win over her Tunisian opponent.
Elena Rybakina becomes the youngest winner of Wimbledon since 2011 when Petra Kvitova won the title. Rybakina’s victory at the All England Club came with a bit of controversy due to the decision of the tournament’s organisers to ban all Russian players from playing at this year’s tournament, including world number one Daniil Medvedev. Rybakina is a naturalised Kazakhstani who was born in Russia to Russian parents and only took Kazakhstani citizenship in 2018.
