Historical: Ons Jabeur to become the first Arab woman to enter the top-10 of WTA rankings
Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur has arguably been one of the most hard working and consistent players on the WTA tour in 2021. With impressive results across surfaces, the Tunisian player has won close to 50 matches this year.
For the year, including the ongoing BNP Paribas Open, Jabeur has made five semifinals. She also won the title on the grass of Birmingham, in the run-up to the Wimbledon Championships.
Although the 27-year-old is currently ranked 14 in the WTA charts, her semifinal run at Indian Wells will help her crack into the top-10 of the WTA rankings for the first time in her career. In the process, she will also become the first Arab woman in history to enter the top-10 in women’s game.
Speaking to the media during the press conference at Indian Wells, Jabeur said, “This is a dream come true. This is something that I’ve been wanting, top 10 I know is the beginning. I know I deserve this place from a long time since I was playing well.”
“There is a lot of things that I need to improve. I’m very happy, a lot of emotions right now, but I’m still in competition so I’m trying to calm down and not overthink about top 10,” the 2021 BNP Paribas Open semifinalist added.
Already for the year, the Tunisian girl has beaten several Grand Slam champions in Iga Swiatek, Venus Williams, Garbine Muguruza Sloane Stephens and Bianca Andreescu. She will take on Spain’s Paula Badosa in the semifinals at Indian Wells and given Jabeur’s form and confidence she could well win her maiden title in the Californian desert.
Will Jabeur make her debut at WTA Championships?
Regardless of what happens at the BNP Paribas Open from hereon, Jabeur will be in the top-10 next Monday and is also in touching distance of qualifying for the WTA Championships in Mexico.
Currently, only Ash Barty, Aryna Sabalenka, Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Krejcikova have qualified for the marquee event in Guadalajara. Considering that there are a few more tournaments left before Mexico, the Tunisian might be on the flight to the play the grand event.
If Jabeur does make it to Mexico, she will create history by becoming the first woman from the Arabic region to qualify for the year-end, WTA Championships.
Also read: Paula Badosa, the ‘Giant Killer’ enjoying a meteoric rise in 2021
Vivek Krishnan
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