Rybakina wins Wimbledon

- SuperSport

ONDON – Russian-born Elena Rybakina powered back from a set down against Ons Jabeur to win the Wimbledon title yesterday, denying the Tunisian world number two the chance to make African tennis history.

Jabeur was in charge at the start of the match but the 17th seed, representing Kazakhstan, regrouped and dropped just four more games on the way to a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory.

“I never felt anything like this before,” said the champion. “Congratulations to Ons for everything you have achieved.

L“You are an inspiration to Tunisians and everybody. You played a great match.” Jabeur, 27, started in style, breaking Rybakina in the third game of the match when the Kazakh went long with a backhand.

She followed that with a hold to love that included a delicious backhand pass angled past her opponent at the net. Rybakina was under intense pressure on her own serve again as the set threatened to run away from her but she dug deep to hold for 3-2.

But she failed to force a single break point on the sun-baked Centre Court in the first set and an error-strewn service game gifted the set to Jabeur.

As Jabeur celebrated with a fistpump, Rybakina returned to her chair contemplating a costly 17 unforced errors.

But momentum shifted immediately at the start of the second set as Rybakina broke Jabeur before holding for a 2-0 lead.

Rybakina had now found her rhythm and Jabeur had to battle hard to hold to stay in touch.

The 23-year-old Kazakh, who stands six feet (1.84 metres) tall, then fended off three break points before breaking again to take a 4-1 lead when Jabeur went long with a forehand.

LONDON – Novak Djokovic promised there will be ‘fireworks’ when he takes on Australia’s Nick Kyrgios for the Wimbledon title today.

“The job is not finished. One thing is for sure there are going to be a lot of fireworks emotionally from both sides,” said the 35-year-old Djokovic.

Despite playing in his first final at the majors, Kyrgios boasts a 2-0 edge over the former world No. 1.

(Source: Daily Mail)

(Source: Daily Mail) Elena Rybakina made glorious history for Kazakhstan on Centre Court yesterday as she won a first ever Grand Slam singles title both for herself and the adopted nation she now represents. The 23-year-old came from behind to beat Tunisia’s world No2 Ons Jabeur, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, under the blazing sun. Yet the heat her win will now attract, through no fault of her own, is likely to be intense in the extreme. With players from Russia and Belarus banned from attending these Championships by the All England Club - in effect, as a show of solidarity with Ukraine - Rybakina’s appearance in the final had been seized up by Russia’s authorities as a potential bloody nose for the West.