Ons Jabeur and Marketa Vondrousova will meet in the Wimbledon women’s final, helping the All England avoid a potentially embarrassing diplomatic headache.
Tunisian world No 6 Jabeur fought back from a set and 4-2 down to defeat Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-3 to reach a second successive final at the tournament.
Czech left-hander Vondrousova ended Elina Svitolina’s dream of delivering a Grand Slam title for Ukraine with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 win, becoming the first unseeded woman to make the final in 60 years.
Had Sabalenka gone on to win the title on Saturday, she would have received the trophy from Princess Catherine, the wife of the heir to the British throne, a year after all Belarusian and Russian players were banned from the tournament following the invasion of Ukraine.
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Belarus is a key ally of Moscow.
If she had reached the final, Svitolina would have maintained her policy of not shaking hands with Russian and Belarusian rivals in protest at the war.
Tunisian trailblazer Jabeur has now fought back three times from dropping the first set at this year’s tournament.
“I’m very proud of myself because maybe old me would have lost the match today and went back home already but I’m glad that I kept digging deep and finding the strength,” she said.
Saturday’s final will be her third at the Slams after losing to Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon and Iga Swiatek at the US Open last year.
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