9th July, 2022
Elena Rybakina created her own history by becoming the first ever Kazakhstani Grand Slam champion after she overcame Ons Jabeur, the Tunisian and African also chasing her first title in the Wimbledon women’s final.
The 17th seed battled back from a set down to record a 3-6 6-2 6-2 victory.
The Russian-born star, 23, looked nervous from the off and it was little surprise when Jabeur broke again when Rybakina served unsuccessfully to stay in the opening set.
Rybakina needed a response and she duly found one from nowhere, breaking at the start of the second set and maintaining that momentum, holding serve despite relentless pressure from Jabeur.
She won the set 6-2 and also won the deciding set by the same margin.
With Russian and Belarussian players banned from the grasscourt major following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Rybakina would have been excluded from this year’s Wimbledon had she not switched allegiance from Russia four years ago.