Ons Jabeur Makes History, Becomes First North African And Arab Woman to Reach a Grand Slam Final

In an impressive final to the women’s singles at Wimbledon, Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur loses against Kazakh player Elena Rybakina in the grand slam final on 9 July. Though Rybakina leaves as Kazakhstan’s first Grand Slam champion, Jabeur also makes history, becoming the first African and Arab woman to reach a grand slam final.

Born in Ksar Hellal, Tunisia, the 27-year-old star became the first North African and Arab woman tennis player to reach a tennis grand slams singles final since 1968. Standing as second in the world, her victory comes after she won against [nationality] Tatjana Maria in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Thursday 7 July.

Before Jabeur’s semi final win, South Africans Irene Bowder Peaks in 1927 at the French Open and Renee Schuurman in 1959 at the Australian Open, were the only two African women to have reached a slam singles final.

Jabeur was exposed to tennis at the early age of three, but her international career started in 2011 when she won the French junior tournament. She broke into the world’s Top 100 in 2016, became the first Arab player in the world’s Top 10 in October 2021, and her win at the Madrid Open in May 2022 made her the first Tunisian, Arab, and African player to win a WTA 1000 tournaments – an ascent full of firsts.

“I am a proud Tunisian woman standing here right now”@Ons_Jabeur is an inspiration 🤩#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/GGo4K5dKgM

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2022

Jabeur was exposed to tennis at the early age of three, but her international career started in 2011 when she won the French junior tournament. She broke into the world’s Top 100 in 2016, became the first Arab player in the world’s Top 10 in October 2021, and her win at the Madrid Open in May 2022 made her the first Tunisian, Arab, and African player to win a WTA 1000 tournaments – an ascent full of firsts.

The open or professional era of tennis started in 1968, and the grand slams are the world’s biggest tournaments. Grand slam refers to the accomplishment of winning all four major championships, the US Open, the Australian Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon in the United Kingdom in the same calendar season.