Marketa Vondrousova ended an inspiring run to the semifinals for returning mum Elina Svitolina in straight-sets, and now faces a friend in Ons Jabeur as they both look to secure their first Major title after the Tunisian – a runner-up here twelve months ago – fought back once more to topple Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka from a set and 4-2 down in the second semi-final.
A tale of two very different semi-finals
Vondrousova bt. Svitolina 6-3, 6-3
In a battle of two unseeded semifinalists for the first time in the Open era, it was Jessica Pegula’s conqueror Marketa Vondrousova who hit 22 winners en route to reaching her second Major final after a straight-sets win at Elina Svitolina’s expense.
Deemed the tournament’s biggest surprise since Eugenie Bouchard’s breakthrough to a runners-up finish nine years ago, the Czech’s sustained success over this fortnight is a product of her persistence.
The rankings remain frenetic but Vondrousova, ranked world no. 42 before this unforgettable surge, admitted she never thought she could chain together big wins on grass. Sound familiar?
The same could be said about maiden Major quarterfinalist Christopher Eubanks, agonisingly close to going one step further on Wednesday.
Vondrousova could’ve wilted against Eubanks’ compatriot Pegula earlier this week but instead maintained her composure as the scoreboard shifted slowly into the 24-year-old’s favour.
Just as was the case in set two against a Ukrainian with nothing to lose, but much to gain – staring down a 4-0 deficit, the Strasbourg champion clawed back a double break and applied pressure again.
That penultimate word, pressure, ultimately proved too much for the 28-year-old to bare as the occasion and all before it – remarkable wins over Victoria Azarenka and Iga Swiatek – were on her shoulders.
“It’s a lot of responsibility, a lot of tension. I try to balance it as much as I can but yeah, sometimes it gets maybe too much,” she said on the topic of representing her war-torn country as Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko watched on.
Three consecutive breaks of serve midway through set one made this a rollercoaster ride, but one the 2019 French Open runner-up buckled up for and her consistency during baseline exchanges was key.
Since that Roland Garros final, she hasn’t progressed beyond the last-16 at a Grand Slam tournament (Australian Open, French in 2021) and has had two wrist surgeries, the latest keeping her sidelined until last October where she returned to ITF and Challenger-level events early on.
Now, she faces a familiar and friendly face in Ons Jabeur – having beaten her twice already this year (Australian Open, Indian Wells). Will she make it three?
Jabeur bt. Sabalenka 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-3
The pair exchanged pleasantries on the walkway to the practice courts before Thursday’s play, but it’ll be interesting to see how they both handle the task ahead on Saturday afternoon as a new Grand Slam champion will be crowned regardless of the result.
Jabeur, who has faced a fearsome stretch of Major champions and tournament favourites en route, could be forgiven for feeling emotionally spent.
After all, the Tunisian has recovered from a set down in three of her last four matches: Bianca Andreescu, Elena Rybakina and now Aryna Sabalenka to boot.
For the Australian Open champion, it’s a second consecutive Major semi-final defeat and one she’ll have a tough time swallowing all things considered.
The first set could’ve gone either way, though Jabeur was understandably disappointed not to seize the tiebreak initiative after Sabalenka double-faulted at 3-3.
With that in mind, the Belarusian whirlwind was on full display during set two: some spellbinding winners, jarring rally ball errors and an inconsistent first serve percentage playing right into Jabeur’s hands.
Just like against the hard-hitting Kazakh, she produced some excellent ball-striking at key moments to chip away Sabalenka’s resolve, being wrongfooted with forehand winners and frequently forced out wide for good measure too.
It wasn’t a straightforward task but buoyed by the crowd, her energy and aggressiveness went up a notch too. The 25-year-old had no answers.
Picture source: Getty Images
Mo and Sports 