Thursday, March 28

Wimbledon updates | Rybakina wins, will face Jabeur in final


WIMBLEDON, England — The Latest from Wimbledon (all times local):

Elena Rybakina defeated 2019 champion Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 on Center Court to set up a Wimbledon final against Ons Jabeur.

Both the 17th-seeded Rybakina and third-seeded Jabeur are first-time Grand Slam finalists.

Rybakina is the first Kazakhstan player to reach a major final. Jabeur is the first Arab woman to reach a major final and the first African woman to do so in the Open era.

The 23-year-old Rybakina is the youngest Wimbledon finalist since 2015 when Garbiñe Muguruza lost to Serena Williams.

Halep, the 2018 French Open champion, had reached the semifinals without dropping a set but was broken early in both sets.

The 30-year-old Romanian wasn’t able to defend her Wimbledon title last year — after the 2020 edition was canceled — because of a calf injury.

The second women’s semifinal match between Simona Halep and Elena Rybakina has started on Center Court at Wimbledon.

Halep won the title at the All England Club in 2019. Rybakina has never been this far at a major tournament.

The winner will play Ons Jabeur in Saturday’s finale.

Ons Jabeur advanced to her first Grand Slam final by beating Tatjana Maria 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 on Center Court at Wimbledon in a victory that is also a first for Arab and African women.

The Tunisian is the first Arab woman to reach a major final and the first African woman to do so in the Open era.

The third-seeded Jabeur will face either 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep or 17th-seeded Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s final.

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In the deciding set, Jabeur twice broke her 34-year-old German opponent — who was a first-time Grand Slam semifinalist — en route to a 5-0 lead.

This was Maria’s 35th appearance at a major tournament, and the 103rd-ranked player had never been beyond the third round previously.

The 27-year-old Jabeur and Maria are good friends — “barbecue buddies,” as the Tunisian said.

The women’s semifinal match between Ons Jabeur and Tatjana Maria has started on Center Court.

Neither player has ever been this far at a major tournament.

The winner will play either Simona Halep or Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s finale.

There will be at least one first-time Grand Slam finalist when the women’s semifinals finish.

Ons Jabeur and Tatjana Maria will play in the first match on Center Court. Neither has ever been this far at one of the four major tennis tournaments.

Simona Halep will take on Elena Rybakina in the second match. Halep won the Wimbledon title in 2019 and the French Open the year before. Rybakina is playing at the All England Club for only the second time. She lost in the fourth round last year.

The women’s final will be played Saturday.

The men’s semifinals are scheduled for Friday. Novak Djokovic will face Cam Norrie and Rafael Nadal will play Nick Kyrgios for a spot in Sunday’s final.

More AP Wimbledon coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/wimbledon and https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports




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