Elena Rybakina made history Thursday becoming the first tennis player from Kazakhstan to reach the final of Wimbledon, QazMonitor reports citing MSN.com.
The 23-year-old, born in Moscow but who represents Kazakhstan, arrived on Centre Court as the underdog against 2019 Wimbledon champion Halep. The Romanian was back at SW19 for the first time since that triumph and looked set to reach consecutive finals, of sorts, having not dropped a set all tournament.
But Rybakina needed 76 minutes to book her place in a first Grand Slam final, in just her second main-draw appearance at Wimbledon, as she hit her way through Halep in a sensational 6-3 6-3 victory.
She will face another first-time finalist Ons Jabeuron on Saturday, July 9, after the Tunisian got the better of Tatjana Maria’s variety earlier in the day. Maria brought subtlety and guile to that match; Jabeur should expect Rybakina to bring a sledgehammer.
The two have faced three times so far with Jabeur leading the head-to-head 2-1.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion will receive $2,500,000 and the prestigious Venus Rosewater Dish.