Tunisian Ons Jabeur Breezes Past Petra Kvitova At Wimbledon
Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur breezed past former champion Petra Kvitova 6-0 6-3 on Centre Court on Monday, setting up a quarter-final repeat of last year’s Wimbledon final against Elena Rybakina.
Jabeur left the 2011 and 2014 champion on the ropes as she took command from the start, racing through the first set in 22 minutes. Kvitova was struggling to deal with the pace of the African, while her own serves were erratic.
Kvitova briefly returned to the locker room in an attempt to reset, but her radar remained off and she was soon 4-1 down having conceded a double break.
The ninth-seeded Czech had the briefest of recoveries in the second but it did not last and Jabeur marched on.
Kvitova’s body language suggested that she never really believed she could change the course of the match and Jabeur finished in fitting style to conclude the contest.
“It’s amazing,” a delighted Jabeur said in an on-court interview. “I love how Petra plays.”
“I respect a lot what she has done for women’s tennis and today to be able to win against her is huge for me.”
Majestic Jabeur 🌟@Ons_Jabeur dominates ninth seed Petra Kvitova, winning 6-0, 6-3 to make the last eight#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ehEYGsucGv
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2023
The fans loved the flashback that the hugely popular the Tunisian brings to the table, where deception and angle can overcome sheer power. Jabeur will now face Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals, a repeat of last year’s Wimbledon showpiece.
Third-seeded Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina, who beat Jabeur in three sets in last year’s final, went through after Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia retired at 4-1 down in the first set with a back injury.
🔁 @Ons_Jabeur has revenge on her mind for the quarter-final with Elena Rybakina…#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/xA3RmSaefb
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2023
